Starcross'd
by A Graton
Summary: Story Five of Pentagram Points. A generation after the trio's time. Ron and Hermione's daughter, Kaitlyn is beginning her fourth year at Hogwarts, dreaming about falling in love. She finds it in the most unlikely candidate, the son of Draco Malfoy, Dameon
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

"But, but, Mum! Please! May I?"

"I've said it before and I'll say it again, Benjamin Weasley. We are here to get you things for _Hogwarts_!" a very perturbed mother barked one hot August day in Diagon Alley.

"Oh, come off it, Hermione. Let the boy have some fun," said the father of the overexcited redheaded boy. He was looking on amusedly.

"I would expect _you _of all people to act that way, Ronald Weasley," she retorted. "You were just the same. No, Ben, we are not here for that kind of stuff. You can get some of that when you come home for the holidays."

"MUM! I have to wait _that_ long to get candy?"

"Yes, your sister did and so will you!"

"But she gets to _go_ to Hogsmeade! She's a fourth year this year. I'm only a first!"

"Benjamin Weasley, are you giving your parents a hard time again?" said a new voice joining the conversation.ogHioHo

The group looked up and welcomed the new faces. It was Harry, Ginny, and their nine-year-old daughter Sara. Sara was happily bouncing from shop to shop with Ginny in tow, who was heavily pregnant with their second child and trying her hardest to keep up.

"How's Gin?" Ron asked, looking over his friend's shoulder. She didn't appear to be in pain or be having any difficulty. She loved spending time with her daughter, and nothing was going to get in the way.

"She's as good as she ever was," Harry said, looking over his shoulder. He was staring lovingly at his wife and daughter. It was obvious to both Ron and Hermione that Harry had finally gotten just what he'd wished for. A real family.

"I wonder how she does it," mused Hermione, watching Ginny. "All three times _I_ was in that condition I didn't feel like moving around."

"Don't I know it," Ron grumbled, but received a ferocious look from his wife. He gripped her hand tightly in his own and then kissed it in apology. It seemed to satisfy her. She snuggled closer to him.

"Just think, Harry," Hermione said softly. "In two years, you get to do this with Sara. And then in eleven years, you do it all over again."

"Just think, Hermione," Harry repeated back to her. "You get to do this for seven more years, not including Jeremiah," he said, nodding toward their youngest. He was following his older brother like a shadow.

Ron looked over his shoulder and turned white. "They're going to get into that display!" he cried, pulling away from Hermione and running off to fetch his sons.

Just then, Ginny approached with Sara by her side. "Hullo everyone," she greeted breathlessly. "This little one decided she wanted a Quidditch robe just like her daddy."

"Yes! Yes I do!" came the squeaky voice from their feet. She was yanking on Harry's scarlet robes excitedly. Harry knelt down, picked her up, and then turned to Ginny.

"Did I tell you that you look beautiful today?"

"Once or twice over breakfast, love," she answered, smiling at her husband. He didn't hesitate in pressing a kiss to her lips.

"EW! Make Uncle Harry quit!" Ben cried. He and Jeremiah were being led out of the shop by the scruff of their neck. Ron wasn't exactly pleased with their destructive behavior.

"Well, we just seem to be missing one in our number," Hermione said, looking around for her eldest.

Ron looked up and saw Kaitlyn standing outside of Flourish and Blotts with an unnatural expression on her face. She had definitely inherited the love of reading from her mother, and it never ceased to amaze him. She could even scold her own _father_ like his wife could. But it was just as well. It was that much more endearing and made him love her more.

"I'm over here," she called, not tearing her eyes away from the display.

The party walked over toward the bookstore and Hermione wrapped her arms around her daughter's shoulders. She kissed her daughter's head lovingly and whispered, "Would you like to go in now, darling?"

Kaitlyn smiled happily at her mother, grasped her mother's arms, and sighed. "Yes. I would love to go in."

They all entered the bookstore, and Hermione whipped out two lists and a Quick Quill. She browsed the shop with Kaitlyn, looking for the books they needed. Ron led Jeremiah and Ben to a wall filled with Quidditch books while Harry tagged along happily. Ginny took Sara over to the children's section and sat down with her to read a quick moving picture book.

" 'Standard Book of Spells, Grade Four,' " Hermione read quietly to herself.

"Mum?"

"Yes, love?"

"Why do I need dress robes?"

Hermione looked back at the list in her hands. She had apparently missed it in the hustle and bustle of getting all of the children Flooed out of the house. "Oh! Dress robes, well," she said, turning dark red. She knew very well that Hogwarts wanted to hold another Yule Ball that year merely for tradition. It brought Hermione back to the Yule Ball she attended. A lazy grin suddenly graced her face.

"What's funny, Mum?" Kaitlyn inquired. She was intrigued. Her sparkling blue eyes dazzled her features, her long, straight red hair dangling down her back. Hermione thought it far too long, but was definitely grateful that she had inherited her father's hair instead of her mother's.

"I was just remembering when your father and I first started to really…" she stopped, realizing that she was completely flushed now.

"What, Mum? Dad and you _what_?" Kaitlyn prompted eagerly. She loved the chats she had with her mother. She could sometimes talk to her like she was a friend instead of her mother.

"Well, we had a Ball _my_ fourth year," Hermione began. "And your father and I, at the time, were only friends."

"And with Uncle Harry, right?"

"Right," Hermione said. "Well, we were both very confused about our feelings for each other, and I didn't realize how much I actually _liked_ him until the ball came about." Kaitlyn nodded eagerly. "You see, he never really thought of me as a girl. I was only a friend to him, nothing more. And then, the most amazing thing happened. Viktor Krum asked me."

"VIKTOR KRUM? Mum! Mum! He's a bloody legend!" Kaitlyn squealed.

"Watch your language," Hermione warned. She continued on. "Well, Viktor and I were just friends, though I suspected he wanted to be more. Your father was not at all happy about our going together, and made it quite clear that night."

"No! What did he say?"

"Oh, just that I was 'fraternizing with the enemy' and that he 'only wanted to go with me to get secrets about Harry.'"

Kaitlyn gasped. "DAD said THAT? I don't believe it! Not… not _my_ dad!"

"How could you ever doubt?" Hermione said, snorting to herself.

"Because… I've seen the way he treats you, Mum. The way he looks at you when he thinks no one is watching… I can't believe with _that_ look in his eyes he could have ever said such awful things to you."

Hermione looked at her daughter, tears filling her eyes. "He… he looks at me that way still?"

Kaitlyn nodded. "Oh yes, Mum. I don't know how you can miss it," she said, sighing as she turned away. "It makes me very excited."

"For what, love?"

"That. Love."

"You have a long time to worry about that yet," Hermione said, hugging her daughter and kissing the top of her head.

"You and dad were sixteen, right?" Kaitlyn sighed hopefully. "But when did you know that you were in _love_ with Dad?"

Hermione sighed. "I guess I always knew, I just didn't want to accept it. Besides, what boys at your school do you know?"

"Just the boys in Gryffindor, and they're all so immature," she scoffed and Hermione laughed.

"You sound just like I did. But Ron – er, your father – was the worst of them all. He turned out to be the right person for me, and I really couldn't be happier," Hermione explained to Kaitlyn. "I loved your father for a long time before we actually admitted it to each other. You'll find a man who does the same thing for you one day."

There was a sudden commotion in the front of the store, causing Kaitlyn and Hermione to look up from their quiet, comfortable conversation and over at the front of the store. Hermione could barely see the back of Ron's head, but after seventeen years of marriage and knowing him even longer than that, she knew that the way he was standing was in a defiant fighting pose.

Hermione rushed up next to her husband and saw exactly who he and Harry were glaring at.

It was Malfoy.

"Well, well, well," came the long, slow drawl from Malfoy's mouth. He seemed to be enjoying the encounter rather than detesting it as four of the occupants there were. Ron didn't even look down at Hermione when she approached. He pretended not to hear her when she whispered, "Don't do anything rash in front of your children."

"Weasley… and _Potter_," he said the word with such hate and contempt that Kaitlyn was shocked into silence. She stood behind her father, cowering against the man that was yelling at her family. Who was he, and why did he hate them so?

"_Malfoy_," her father spoke in as much hate as he had. "What exactly are _you_ doing here? Come to find innocent people to pick off with your wand? Spend the _little_ amount of money that your father left you after he was… killed?" Ron dragged out the word 'little' as long as possible.

Malfoy's eyes faltered a bit at the mention of his father being killed in the war against Voldemort, and especially at the fact that his father had managed to squander the family fortune before he died. It was a sore spot for him. He had always had plenty of luxury, and suddenly having to penny pinch did not sit well with him.

Instead, he swept his hair back arrogantly and retorted, "_I_ am shopping, Weasley, and what are you doing? Window-shopping? I can hardly see you _buying_ anything here, what with the economy so bad that they had to raise prices. Surely you can't have the money necessary to buy what is needed."

Kaitlyn had never seen her father turn that shade of red out of anything but embarrassment.

"Why would _you _be shopping here, Malfoy?" came Harry's voice, laced with venom. "I was under the impression that you were too self-centered to take the time to learn how to read."

Malfoy's pale face, if possible, whitened even more. "My son happens to be attending Hogwarts, in his fourth year. It's just bad luck that we happened to see you in here, today of all days."

"Son?" Ron spat. "Malfoy, you bastard! _You reproduced_?"

Malfoy said nothing, but stepped to the side to allow his son access into the store. Hermione was amazed that he didn't look as much like Draco as she thought he would. He was tall for his age, possessed the same silver-blond hair, but had a different look about him. It wasn't the same as Draco's glare, the one that told everyone he was above them and to look out for his snide comments. No, this was a different look. It was as if there was some hope still left within him to be a decent person. Of course, with his father's influence, there was no telling what kind of corruption he had already gone through.

"Dameon," Malfoy said icily to his son. His son looked right up at him and straightened his shoulders in a sign of deep respect.

"Yes, sir?"

"Get your things… _quickly_," he looked around at the four standing opposite him. "We have _no_ business staying here longer than necessary."

Dameon's midnight blue eyes scanned the people standing around, and stopped suddenly when they arrived between Ron and Hermione.

Kaitlyn gulped. He was looking straight at her! The look on his face was neutral, as if he was trying to decide whether or not to abhor her. She fought with the intensity of his look, hoping that in some weird way, she won.

He didn't smile nor did he sneer. His gaze focused off of hers and he strode past with a distinct Malfoy march. Confident, cool, and snide. Draco walked past Hermione quickly, not daring to meet her eyes. Ron turned around and began to walk from her side, but she grabbed his hand and dragged him out of the store.

"Can you believe that… that… I just… I wanted to…"

Kaitlyn had never seen her father so angry that he couldn't speak a full sentence. It was amazing… yet what was most amazing was the fact that her mother could walk over to him, place her hands on his shoulders, whisper something soothing into his ear, and he noticeably calmed. He turned around and faced her. He looked into her eyes happily, put his head on her shoulder, and wrapped his arms around her waist.

She looked over at her Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny. They were holding hands while entertaining Sara, Jeremiah, and Ben. They were also sickly in love, as Kaitlyn could tell. They were catching loving glimpses of each other and sneaking the occasional kiss when everything was quiet.

Kaitlyn looked back at the bookstore ruefully. Was she ever going to find something like that? Something as special as what her parents had. It seemed completely unlikely. She would never find the perfect love, not the love that a naïve Ron Weasley had found in the bright Hermione Granger. Or something that her aunt and uncle shared.

But then she remembered the way Dameon had set his eyes on her. Maybe he saw something there that she had neglected to see. Maybe there was a chance for her to find that kind of love somewhere.

It wasn't the question of when, though. It was a question of who.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"Now, darling, don't forget to owl us as soon as you get to Hogwarts!"

"I promise, mum. May I go now?"

"No, Ben, dear… I just want to hold you one more time."

"_Muum_!" groaned the eleven-year-old. "There are _people_ watching!"

Ron walked up to his son and clasped a hand firmly on his shoulder. "Just let your mother do this right now, and she'll never do it to you again. She had trouble when Kaitlyn left. And son… I expect you to make the same mistakes I did, wreak the same havoc, and¯"

"Ronald Arthur Weasley!" Hermione screamed, cutting him off.

"That's not the first time she's said your full name, Dad," came a sweet voice from behind him. Ron spun around and saw his daughter standing there timidly, her trunk at her feet and her books for reading on the way there tucked neatly under her arm. Sometimes, he swore she emanated her mother in every way. Kaitlyn had always held a special place in Ron's heart. Every time she smiled or batted her ¯well, technically, _his_¯ eyes at him, he became weak and gave into anything she wanted. She had been able to do that even before he met her. The second Hermione had told Ron she was pregnant with Kaitlyn, Ron knew that he was different.

But if anyone would have told him that his daughter would turn out to be this beautiful at fourteen… he wouldn't have even been able to imagine.

Ron stepped over to her and embraced her lovingly. Kaitlyn buried her face in her father's chest. She and her mother wrote to each other often, but her father was never much of a writer. He sent packages and small notes mostly, but this was all she was going to see of him for the next few months. She inhaled deeply, taking in his comfortable scent.

"Now, Kaitlyn, I'll tell you the same thing I've told you for the past three years."

"I know, Dad, I know," she said, rolling her eyes.

"_Stay away from Slytherin, they're a bunch of blighters. Look out for Snape, because he's a royal git. Don't stay out past midnight, don't sneak out past three, and remember, tickle the pear to get into the kitchen_," they recited together accurately.

"Wow, I think might need to clean that speech up a bit," Ron said, frowning and scratching his head.

Kaitlyn looked her father in the eyes. "Don't. It's perfect."

He smiled and kissed the top of her head. "I love you, Kate."

"And I love you, Dad."

"Hurry up! The train's about to leave!" Hermione called.

Ron bent over and lifted up Kaitlyn's trunk. He squeezed her hand and said, "Don't forget… those words of wisdom come from¯"

"¯Many years of troublemaking. I know, Dad, I know," she said, smiling at him mischievously.

He smiled back. "Now I _know_ that's my smile you inherited."

They laughed a bit while Hermione fussed over everything, making sure Kaitlyn had completely packed everything and that she was set on everything she had to do.

"Now, Mum, Dad already gave me _his_ speech, do I need yours as well?"

"Of course you do, after a daft rambling from a madman such as your father!"

"I heard that," came the response from down the platform.

"Make sure you get all of your work done, pay attention in class, don't cause trouble, write me as often as possible, and be friendly to all the new students. Remember how scared you were the first year you went," Hermione said, pretending not to notice the way Kaitlyn was rolling her eyes at the lecture. But this time, Hermione surprised her daughter by adding something she'd never said before. "And don't you fret over what we talked about in Flourish and Blotts… you're only fourteen. Live your life and be happy for what you have, don't spend all your time wishing you had something more."

Kaitlyn's eyes filled with tears, as they rarely did when she said goodbye to her parents those days. She wrapped her arms around her mother and sighed. "I love you, Mum."

"Have a safe journey, Kaitlyn Marie," Hermione whispered into her hair. "I love you."

After pulling away painfully, giving Jeremiah a hug goodbye, and waving to her parents as she got on the train, Kaitlyn Weasley got onto the train that would take her to her destination. Her fourth year of Hogwarts.

"Weasley, Benjamin."

Kaitlyn watched excitedly during the Sorting Ceremony as her younger brother stood in the front of the Great Hall, ready to get sorted. It was only too obvious that the hat would scream, "GRYFFINDOR!" which it did, and Ben excitedly joined her table. She winked at him and watched the last two children nervously approach the old hat.

After the Headmistress, Professor Minerva McGonagall, gave the students her yearly safety and precautions lecture, the feast began. Kaitlyn dug in all too happily. She was famished. Her mother had told her before that she'd inherited her ravening appetite from her father, but she never seemed to mind.

"Kaitlyn!" a voice broke into her thoughts. She looked up quickly to see Selma Finnigan smiling at her mischievously.

Kaitlyn's crooked grin spread across her face when she saw her best friend with that infamous look on her face. She obviously wanted to pull a prank of some kind on a poor, unsuspecting first year. Kaitlyn nodded her head toward the Slytherin table, where frightened first years were settling in. Selma looked over her shoulder and then back at her friend, her bright brown eyes lighting up in excitement. It was all Kaitlyn could do not to laugh.

"Gryffindor first years please follow me!" came the yell of Michelle's cousin, Perry Weasley. He was her Uncle Percy's eldest and had made his father very proud by becoming prefect in his fifth year at Hogwarts.

Kaitlyn rolled her eyes as her friend giggled. "Oh, ha, ha, ha," she said sardonically. "You just spend ten minutes in the same room with that sod," she said as Selma laughed next to her. They walked slowly out of the Great Hall, straggling behind the rest of the students so they wouldn't be part of the gigantic traffic jam. They were talking about their summers animatedly when Kaitlyn heard someone call her name.

She looked up, not realizing where she was going. She stepped straight into someone's back and didn't know who it was until that someone turned around.

She was staring right into the eyes of an angry Dameon Malfoy. His dark, cold eyes were piercing into her own. She stiffened her resolve immediately. No boy, _especially_ a Malfoy, was going to stare at her like that and not expect some kind of harsh verbal lashing.

"Excuse yourself, _Weasley_," he snarled in a tone that made Kaitlyn bristle.

Selma gulped, but Kaitlyn paid her no attention. "You're quite mistaken. I didn't excuse myself because I don't believe I have anything to excuse myself for, _Malfoy_."

Dameon faltered for a second. It was obvious to Kaitlyn that no one had ever stood up to him before because of his name. She wasn't about to let him get away with such a thing.

"How _dare_ you insult me, you insolent pest," he spat in her face.

"Oh please," she said, waving him off. "As if you even know what those words mean."

His jaw dropped. "I-It just so happens that I do," he said, trying to regain his haughty air.

"I reckon you learned them from _Daddy_," she said, rolling her eyes.

"You better watch yourself, Weasley."

"Or what, exactly?" Kaitlyn said, practically laughing in his face. They had accumulated a small circle of onlookers. "What does a snobbish, self-absorbed prat like you think he's going to do to someone who wouldn't even speak to him if not for a subtle comeback to his outlandish and quite obscure threat?"

Dameon was astounded. His pale face had turned whiter, if that was possible, and he closed his mouth. His once cold eyes flashed something at Kaitlyn that she couldn't quite read. Whatever it was, though, she had touched a part of him somehow and there was a feeling other than loneliness.

Once he had turned and left and the crowd dispersed, Selma slapped her friend on the back triumphantly. "I can't believe you just outwitted a Malfoy, Kate! A _Malfoy_! That's something to write home about."

Kaitlyn couldn't help being proud of herself, but yet, as she watched Dameon's retreating back, she rethought those feelings. She had seen the look in the young Malfoy's eyes. Not only were his beautiful ocean blue eyes stony and cold, but they were alone. He was lonely. Why would he be alone? Didn't he have friends?

Selma chattered on incessantly next to her about how no other person in the entire school had ever stood up to a Malfoy that way except for her famous Uncle Harry when Draco was in school, and that was something to brag about.

But Kaitlyn saw something in that instant that made her change her mind. Dameon looked over his shoulder at her, and she saw it again. The flash in his eyes that took away the loneliness. She could have sworn it looked a lot like one thing she had a lot of.

Hope.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

'_That's marvelous, darling! I can't believe you stood your ground with someone who has that reputation. Fantastic._

_YES, Kaitlyn! You tell the little bugger where to stick it! Make sure he knows _never_ to mess with a Weasley!_

_Honestly! Kaitlyn, dear, I must go. Your father keeps summoning the pen over to him so he can write obscene notes. We both love you. Send Ben our love. Jeremiah misses you._

_Love from,_

_Mum and Dad._'

"That's brilliant! Your father has the right idea," Selma said, reading the note over Kaitlyn's shoulder. She had written her parents only minutes after her confrontation with Dameon and it had taken them three days to respond. Of course, this was after the announcement of the second Yule Ball the night before.

All the students fourth year and up were allowed to attend and it was all anyone could talk about. It would be held on Christmas Eve and students were also permitted to bring dates. All Selma could talk about was who she wanted to ask. Kaitlyn had not the slightest clue, nor did she care who she would go with.

"I think John wanted to go with you, he's been sweet on you ever since first year," Selma said, breaking into her thoughts.

"Excuse me?" she said, looking up suddenly. "Jonathon Wood?" She stifled a chuckle. John Wood was a sweet boy, and while attractive and very enthusiastic, he was far too obsessed with the sport of Quidditch to be of any real interest to her. He'd probably spend the entire night comparing the color of her dress robes to a Quaffle.

"Well, what about you?" Kaitlyn asked Selma. "Who do you think fancies you?"

Selma turned a pale shade of pink and looked away quickly. Her eyes scanned the Hufflepuff table. "No one."

Kaitlyn turned around and scanned the table quickly. "Don't tell me it's…"

"Then, no… it's not."

She narrowed her eyes at Selma and then let her gaze drift past her. Her eyes landed on the Slytherin table and she couldn't believe it… Dameon Malfoy was looking at her.

She wasn't sure how to read the look in his eyes. They weren't full of contempt and hate, which she expected by now. Ever since their first encounter, they had gotten into small spats all over the school. They shared a Potions and a Care of Magical Creatures class and Dameon took every opportunity to ridicule her or verbally lash at her. However, he was severely disappointed each time when Kaitlyn had something just as harsh to shoot back at him. She never let him get the better of her.

But unbeknownst to Kaitlyn, Dameon found this exasperating detail quite intriguing. No other person in the entire school had looked at him with such defiance. It amazed him that it was a Weasley with such a will, a _female_ Weasley at that. He found it strange, especially after the stories that his father had told him of the infamous Ron Weasley and Harry Potter.

"Hello, Kaitlyn?"

Kaitlyn blinked and looked back at her friend. "Yes, you were saying?"

"What color robes should I buy? I was thinking of purchasing some from Hogsmeade. My father said he'd send me the money when I needed to buy them. I figure we can get them together when we go to Hogsmeade on Halloween night. I mean, it'd be much more fun to shop with my friend than my mum, even though my mum claims she had the most fashion sense in Gryffindor when _she_ went here," Selma rambled.

Kaitlyn could only smile at her friend. She didn't know how to be enthusiastic about the Yule Ball just yet. It wasn't just the fact that she had no clue who she was going with. It was also that she didn't know if she wanted to go. Then again, she had her mum to think about.

It would probably make her parents proud for her to go, even if it had been a nightmare for both of them when _they_ went. She played with her eggs and heard her mother's voice haunt her. _'If you're going to play with your food, don't eat it.'_

Heeding her mother's advice, she pushed her plate away and pulled out one of her textbooks. Selma continued to rambled on ceaselessly about the Ball, who she was going to ask, what robes she was going to wear, and even began to mention how the Yule Ball her mother and father had attended together was the turning point of their relationship.

"What if _I_ meet my husband at our Ball? Seriously, Kate… that's so cool to think about it. Did your mother and father go together?"

Kaitlyn spat into her pumpkin juice. She wiped her mouth. "Are you kidding?"

"No," Selma said, shaking her head. She had a blank look on her face.

"Did Selma just ask what I think she did?" came a voice from next to them. It was Heather Thomas, a fellow Gryffindor in their year. She sat down next to them and looked on interestedly.

"Yes she did," Kaitlyn said, giggling at her friends.

"What?" Selma asked, confused.

"Kaitlyn's dad went with my Aunt Padma," Heather said. She and Kaitlyn then shared a sly smile. "And Kaitlyn's mum… well…"

"She went with Viktor Krum," Kaitlyn finished.

"No she didn't!" Selma exclaimed.

"She did! She has a picture and a few letters that she and Viktor sent back and forth during that summer. My dad still gets angry when she talks about it," she defended her parents.

"Why would your father get angry about that?" Selma asked.

Heather laughed. "Please! My Aunt Padma told me all about it. She said all Ron did the entire time was stare at Hermione and didn't even pay attention to her!"

"And my mum told me what my father said to her about Viktor going with her. It was a big mess."

The girls talked a while longer before getting up to go to their first class of the day, Transfiguration with Hufflepuff. This made Selma giddy with excitement. It was well known that she had a crush on the Seeker for the Hufflepuff Quidditch team, and he was very much smitten with her as well. All Kaitlyn could do was roll her eyes at her friend. She didn't know what she'd do if she ever found herself that smitten over any boy.

It was just then that Dameon Malfoy decided to deliberately walk next to her in the crowd, no doubt trying to provoke her into a fight again.

"Well, well, well, Miss Weasley," he taunted. It had not escaped Kaitlyn's attention that he no longer addressed her as simply 'Weasley.' She had definitely gone up on his scale… whatever it was.

"Good morning, Mr. Malfoy. Where are you off to?" she asked pleasantly, knowing this would irk him even more.

It worked. He gritted his teeth and peered forward, so as not to gain eye contact. "You seem to be too chipper for your own good, Miss Weasley."

"Why shouldn't I be?" she asked innocently, batting her eyes at him. This irritated him even further. "Life is grand, isn't it, Mr. Malfoy?"

Kaitlyn barely noticed Heather and Selma shooting each other furtive glances next to her. No one had ever patronized Dameon Malfoy. Everyone was too scared to.

"Why are you so irritating?"

"For your pleasure, milord," she said with a snotty tone.

"Why don't you go jump off a cliff?"

"Why? So you could follow me off?"

He sneered. "Leave me alone."

"Begging your pardon, milord, but I believe it was you who initiated the conversation. Why do you talk to me if you know all I'm going to do is vex you?"

Seeing the blank look on his face, she flipped her long, fiery red hair behind her shoulder and nodded superiorly. She stalked off, leaving Dameon openmouthed, staring after her.

Heather and Selma ran up to her. "Are you in_sane_?" Heather spat at her. "He's a Malfoy! Stories of his family are legendary! Did you know that his grandfather was a Death Eater for You-Know-Who? Do you know what he can _do_ to you?"

Kaitlyn, not the least bit fazed, looked over her shoulder at the youngest Malfoy. He was still staring after her. She looked back at her friends. "Sure I know what he can do to me. It's whether or not he'll do it."

The time at Hogwarts passed by so quickly that Kaitlyn had to step outside of herself for a second. She breezed through the classes easily, as she had always done ('_cursed with your father's appetite, blessed with your mother's intellect_,'), and before anyone knew it, it was Halloween. That also meant it was a Hogsmeade weekend, and time for Selma, Heather, and Kaitlyn to buy their dress robes for the Yule Ball.

After receiving some money by owl from her parents, Kaitlyn was ready to shop. Her mother had suggested she wear blue in her last letter. Her father had jokingly suggested maroon, but then retorted bitterly, 'No matter how beautiful you are, I don't know if I'll be able to see past that horrible color.'

Selma was ecstatic. The Hufflepuff Seeker had since asked her. She was excited beyond belief. All she could talk about was their date. The other members of his Quidditch team had pushed him into asking her and Selma was more than happy about it.

"I don't know what Merrill's favorite color is," she vented to Kaitlyn while they walked to the Great Hall that morning for breakfast. "I mean, I don't want to look stupid, but I want to match him. Should I wear yellow? After all, he _is_ a Hufflepuff… or maybe he's seen too much of it? I don't know. I look horrible in yellow. I'm not going to wear black. Black looks so dull, and we wear those colors every single day. Should I wear red? No, too flashy. Pink? No, too pasty…"

Heather had saved their usual spots at the table, where she was working on her assignment for Care of Magical Creatures. "I can't believe that Hagrid actually assigned real work!" she exclaimed, not looking up when her friends sat down next to her.

"Don't ask _me_," Selma said, pulling up a golden plate almost as soon as she sat down. She piled food onto her plate in large heaps, not even realizing what she was doing.

Heather looked up and peered incredulously at her friend. "What's up with you? You're eating like Kate."

Kaitlyn slapped her friend on the arm and then answered, "She's so hung up on this Merrill guy that she doesn't even notice that she's got three hundred pieces of bacon on her plate."

Selma looked down at her plate and then shrugged absently. "Oh well. Where does it go to anyway?"

Kaitlyn gazed at her friend sternly. "You know those house-elves work _very_ hard preparing this food for us. We could at least be a little decent and not waste it."

"Honestly, Kate, sometimes you remind me so much of your mum," Selma laughed.

She only rolled her eyes in reply. After their breakfast was finished, they made their way to the first class of the day, Care of Magical Creatures with Slytherin.

Kaitlyn was determined not to even make eye contact with Dameon that day. She wasn't going to let him get the better of her, as he had been doing (or trying to do at least) the past two months. He had not let up since the first day. Yet he had stopped calling her Miss Weasley and was now referring to her as Kaitlyn. That was quite an adjustment.

" 'Lo, there, Kaitlyn," Hagrid greeted cheerfully when they reached his hut that morning. Kaitlyn had always liked Hagrid. When she first met Hagrid, he'd happily told her stories about her parents when they went to Hogwarts. She remembered going down to visit him with Selma her first year. She would never forget the story about the slugs that her mother had never told her. Hagrid had stared at her for a few seconds and said, "I can' believe how much ya look like yer father, Kaitlyn."

Ever since then, Kaitlyn had visited Hagrid as often as she possibly could and immediately signed up for his class when she had the chance. She loved his class above all others. However, sharing it with the Slytherins really upset her.

Selma and Heather smiled at Kaitlyn and Hagrid shook his head at them. "I just hope you three aren' causin' any trouble for yer poor teachers this year."

"Oh, Hagrid," Heather piped up. "What would ever give you that idea?"

Hagrid smiled knowingly at them and began the class. Kaitlyn turned to see Dameon's silver head bowed into a group of boys. They looked like they were conspiring against Hagrid, which made Kaitlyn's blood boil.

After the lesson was well underway and everyone had a creature to study, Kaitlyn, Heather, and Selma started to talk about the Ball again.

"Personally, Selma," Heather began before her overzealous friend could open her mouth, "I think you should wear silver."

"Silver?" she asked, perplexed. "Why silver?"

"It'd look best with your hair color. Your hair is so dark that it would look really pretty."

"Don't you think that's a rather pallid color? Especially for my skin tone? I'm part Irish, you have to remember that!"

"I don't think that really matters," Heather said. "I think you'd look best in silver. Besides, I think Merrill is wearing black. At least, that's what his best friend told me. After all, I'm going with him."

Selma and Kaitlyn looked up quickly. "You're _what_?" they screeched.

"You never told us this!" Kaitlyn exclaimed.

"Oh yes, sorry about that. He asked me yesterday morning before you came down to breakfast and I was so preoccupied with my work that I didn't even think twice about it."

Selma and Kaitlyn exchanged a shocked look and then stared at their friend. "Well… what brought this about then?"

"Well, Charlie and I used to share a tray in Herbology, you know, when you two grabbed each other before anyone else could. He told me that he liked talking to me and wanted to take me to the ball."

Kaitlyn laughed. "Wow. Two down. Zero to go."

"Zero? What do you mean zero?"

"Yeah, you need to go with someone! What about John?"

"Yeah! I heard him talking about asking you."

Kaitlyn grimaced. She looked up and saw John smiling at her. She smiled back politely and then looked back at her friends. "No way. He'll talk about Quidditch the entire time. Sorry."

"What? What's wrong with going with the _Captain_ of the Quidditch team? Wasn't your uncle the Captain when Gryffindor won the Cup?"

"Yes, and his father was the Captain when we won, too. So what? That doesn't mean anything."

"Sure! You have plenty in common," Heather prompted.

"What if I don't want to go with John?"

"Then don't go with him. He just wants to ask you," Selma reminded her.

Kaitlyn shook her head. "There's no one I really care to go with anyway. Maybe I just shouldn't go."

Both of her friends gasped as they looked at her. "B-But, Kaitlyn… what about your mother… and us?"

"What's my mother got to do with this? I mean… if I'm not going with a date, than it's really not worth going."

"Then that's your problem, Kate," Selma pointed out. "You said you don't want to go with anyone, but you don't want to go without a date. What are you going to do?"

Kaitlyn looked away from her friends. What _did_ she want? But before she could answer her thoughts, she felt something hard hit the back of her head. She looked up quickly and saw Dameon rushing over quickly.

"Excuse me, Kaitlyn," he said tartly, bending over to retrieve his book. "My friends thought it would be funny to hit you, and though I did agree, I thought it would still be rude. If you'll excuse me."

"Perhaps I shouldn't," she replied, turning back around.

He stopped in his tracks. Here it came. "Perhaps you should."

"Oh please," she said, for what felt like the eightieth time since she knew him. "You know very well who threw the book. You wanted to come over here. You just need a reason to get over here so you could fight with me. Sorry, I am not giving you the satisfaction."

Dameon's eyes glittered menacingly as he peered at her. "Are you calling me a liar, Kaitlyn?"

"What if I am, Dameon?"

"Watch yourself."

"On the contrary, Dameon. I think it's _you _who needs to watch _yourself_."

He narrowed his eyes at her and then walked away, mumbling to himself. Heather and Selma shook their heads at her.

"It's too bad he's a Slytherin, Kaitlyn," Selma commented.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Oh it's so obvious, Kate," Heather piped up.

"What is? Obviously it's not that obvious if I can't figure it out… obviously," she said, turning bright red and looking away.

Heather and Selma looked at Dameon from above Kaitlyn's shoulder. He was glancing at their table both nervously and angrily. It appeared as though he couldn't make up his mind as to which.

"Dameon fancies you."

Kaitlyn laughed so loudly that three groups stopped what they were doing to look over. She put her head back down and chuckled to herself. "You two… you two are quite funny. Dameon Malfoy… fancy anyone but _himself_? What a joke!"

Before either of her friends had time to reply, Hagrid told the students to return their creatures to the respective crates and to have a good day. He winked at Kaitlyn before she left and happily forgetting everything they had just discussed.

The day passed uneventfully after that and Kaitlyn was most excited to get out of the castle to go shopping in Hogsmeade. She talked excitedly with her friends as they neared the village. One of Kaitlyn's favorite places was Honeydukes, the sweets shop. She didn't miss the chance to go and talk to her uncles Fred and George who now owned and ran Zonko's joke shop.

However, the highlight of the trip was when the girls entered the robe shop. The storeowner seemed to know what they wanted immediately, and set to work with the measurements. Selma requested a set of robes in silver and the excited witch knew exactly what to get her. After trying them on and making adjustments, Selma was the proud owner of a beautiful pair of dress robes.

Heather had no trouble finding the perfect dress robes for herself. She had picked something in a dark blue. Kaitlyn, however, was having more trouble than she felt she needed to.

"What color? What color?" she asked, going through the thousands of robes the owner seemed to have accumulated. She couldn't do red or orange, as both colors always seemed to clash horribly with her hair. She didn't want to pick blue, as one of her best friends was going in blue. Her strange dislike for the colors yellow and purple were coming into play and she definitely didn't want to show up in a color that she wore every day to class.

She stopped, however, when she came across a soft, multi-color robe. She pulled it out and saw that it was a turquoise and shocking pink color that changed shades at the angle you peered at it. It intrigued her and she could hear the squeals from across the store.

"Only _you_ could pull off something like that, Kaitlyn! Try it on!"

Even though she _did _try it on, there really was no need to. It was perfect for her and she bought it right away. She couldn't wait to write home that night to tell her parents she'd bought a color-changing robe. She could just see the note back. Her mother would write, '_Color changing? Well, only something like that would belong on you, dear._' Her father would have been more blunt. '_Color-changing? Way to stand out, love!_'

Walking out of the robe shop and back up to Hogwarts, Kaitlyn couldn't help but feel somewhat glamorous with the outfit she had selected. Her only problem now was finding someone to look glamorous for.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"Please open your books to page three hundred twenty-six," instructed the Potions master, Professor Snape. "Now, some of you may feel like you're important, learning the magical properties of the truth serum we call Veritaserum, but I assure you, you are _not_."

Kaitlyn took notes rapidly on the ingredients she saw in the book, so she wouldn't miss any. That was the last thing she needed even though she constantly got top marks in Potions, much to Professor Snape's dismay. He often sneered at her, "I can't believe a Weasley has as much knowledge as _you_ do, Kaitlyn. But I suspect it's from your Muggle Know-It-All mother." Thankfully for her, she had not inherited her father's stubbornness and need to constantly retaliate when she was irked.

"Now, I'm going to break you off into pairs because I do _not_ want a repeat of what happened last week in my classroom. None of you pay attention when you're paired with your little friends. _So_," he said, his dark, malicious eyes glancing about the classroom. "Finnigan, I want you with Smythe."

Selma tried not to groan as she moved away from the safety of her best friend's side to the Slytherin side of the room.

"Let's see here," Snape said, looking around again. "Thomas, you're with Jennings." Heather did not argue as she grabbed her things and moved over. "Malfoy," he said, directing his attention toward another area of the dungeon. "I want you with Weasley."

Both Dameon and Kaitlyn dropped their jaws. "What!" Kaitlyn squealed.

"Professor, surely you could think of someone better…" Dameon began, turning slightly red.

"I'll have no arguments from _either_ of you," he shot icily. "Weasley, you're working with Malfoy. Get over there _now_."

Kaitlyn crossed her arms defiantly. "I have a lot more things to carry. Surely he can come over here."

"Weasley, do you want me to deduct points from Gryffindor for defiance?"

"No, no, sir, it's all right," Dameon spoke up. "I'll just _move_. I'd rather do it than listen to her gripe all class."

Kaitlyn stuck her nose snootily in the air, trying to remain as confident as possible. Dameon settled next to her and scooted his chair as far to the other corner of the desk as he possibly could. They shot daggers at each other while Snape paired up the rest of the class.

"All right, students," he said, heading toward the front of the classroom. "I expect you to have this potion made and ready for me to test at the end of class."

Kaitlyn stood up immediately. "I'll get the ingredients," she said stiffly.

"I'll begin with what we have," he shot back at her, standing up before she could leave.

It was a very awkward lesson for the two of them, but they worked diligently and accurately. Neither of them spoke until Dameon finally broke the ice.

"You're doing better than I'd think a Weasley to do, Kaitlyn."

She looked up for a second, astonished. Had he just given her a compliment? Her blue eyes glazed over as she stared at Dameon's pale face. He was doing his best to look away from her, but suddenly he couldn't help but look over at her.

Kaitlyn's heart almost stopped. Was that… a smile? She smiled herself, looking back at the potion. "You're surprisingly pleasant for a Malfoy, Dameon."

He looked up at her suddenly, not believing what she had just told him. His eyes lit up and he whispered, "Do you mean that?"

Kaitlyn looked at Dameon and saw the light in his eyes. She couldn't even begin to imagine how lonely his life was before if such a small compliment was causing him to become so happy. She smiled at him and Dameon's cool heart melted. "Yes. Yes, I do mean that."

Dameon let himself smile back at her and Kaitlyn couldn't believe how handsome he became with a little warmth on his face.

"MALFOY! WEASLEY! This is _not_ a staring contest!" Snape bellowed from the front of the classroom, ruining the moment.

Kaitlyn and Dameon broke their eye contact and began working on the potion again.

"If you weren't complimenting me, Weasley, I _would_ be paying attention."

"If you hadn't smiled at me, Malfoy, I'd be working as well."

Kaitlyn and Dameon caught each other's eye again, smirked, and looked back at the potion. They remained silent for the rest of the hour.

All Kaitlyn could suddenly sense was Dameon's presence near her. Neither of them had to say a thing, but both of them knew that they had reached some common ground, they'd reached a real level with each other.

He coughed loudly when they were done and raised his hand calmly. Professor Snape wandered over to them and peered into the cauldron. It was clear, which was the exact pigment it was supposed to be. Snape looked a bit disappointed that Dameon and Kaitlyn had not scratched each other's eyes out and even more so that they had managed to concoct their potion perfectly. He dismissed the class in a very perturbed mood.

Kaitlyn gathered her things hurriedly and dashed out of the classroom. She had to write her mother… she had to write her _immediately_.

"Kate! Kate, wait up!"

It was Selma and Heather. They were the last people she wanted to talk to at the moment. She had too much going on in her brain. She needed to get away from the Potions dungeon… far away.

"Kaitlyn," another voice called. This voice she stopped for. It was Dameon.

She turned around to see him walking up alongside her quickly. Her mouth dropped open. No boy had ever approached her in the halls of Hogwarts… except for John Wood who had wanted to hear her opinion about the last Quidditch game.

Yet she couldn't let the hopefulness inside of her show through. She still had to show a stern face when it came to Dameon Malfoy.

"What do you want?" she asked, her tone more icy than she wanted it to be.

He clutched his books defensively to his chest, staring down his long nose at her. It was as if he was trying to size her up, figure out if this was really the same girl he had just spent a pleasant hour with. "You, er…" he looked down suddenly. He was caught. What had he planned to say to her? What could he possibly say to a girl who only thought of him as the boy who loved to push all of her buttons? She felt nothing for him, so why should he feel anything for her?

"Yes?" she asked again. He was flustered. Was that good or bad?

"You left your quill," he said, remembering the real reason he had caught up with her. Had he planned to say anything more?

"Oh," she said, looking down at his hand. She _had_ left her quill. That was all… that was all. It seemed to be so devastating, but she couldn't figure out why it was so devastating. She grabbed the quill, not realizing that she had, instead grabbed the tips of his fingers. Her blue eyes shot upward and looked into his. There was that spark again, that same spark she saw every time they fought, the one she had seen in his smile. What did it all mean?

"Thank you, Dameon," she said nervously, taking the quill and turning to walk away.

"Wait, Kaitlyn!" he called, and realized just as she turned around that he had _no_ idea what to say to her. Her eyebrows shot up in a nonverbal attempt to ask what he wanted. Could he say anything? What was he supposed to say to her?

Kaitlyn couldn't breathe. She couldn't even think. How had she not noticed Dameon Malfoy before? He was in her year, they had been sorted together, they had even had classes together three years beforehand… how was it possible she had never seen him?

Maybe it was the influence her father had on her. He had spoken the name Malfoy with such loathing and hatred that she didn't want to be involved with anyone of that name either. Perhaps it was the fact that she just didn't care to notice. It could have been that she tried not to associate with anyone from the house of Slytherin. They all seemed to be quite an unhappy, surly bunch they did. What joy would she get out of a friendship with a Slytherin?

But it never occurred to Kaitlyn how much hope was in his eyes. After seeing Dameon's father in Flourish and Blotts with that hollow glare in his ice blue eyes, she couldn't decide wither or not there was feeling in that prestigious family at all. Yet there was a spark in Dameon's eyes that she hadn't seen in Draco's. Something that made him different than his family, something that made him a little more decent. She could tell… Dameon had always and would always be separated from his family.

What did that mean with her, though? And why was he constantly staring at her with that glimmer of hope in his eyes? What had she ever done for him?

Kaitlyn tore her eyes away from Dameon before it was too late and rushed down the hallway, away from the glimmer… away from his eyes.

Dameon blinked a couple of times and felt the hope drain from his heart. She was all he had left… she was it. He had known it the first time he had seen her… _really_ seen her in Flourish and Blotts. He'd known her for four years, but knew of the warning his father had given him about redheads and Weasley's… they were nothing but paupers who procreated with Mudbloods. What business did he have consorting with peasant folk like those? Perhaps that was why he never chose to acknowledge Kaitlyn Weasley.

But there she was, wild and free. The only girl to ever look him in the eye, and certainly the only person at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to talk to him in a manner that noted he was not above her, nor ever would be. She was the only person to ever challenge him, to irk him, to _fight back_.

There was hope in Kaitlyn Weasley, he just refused to see it. He'd come from a family that did not promote love and happiness. It was all about respect and pride, social stature and looking good in public. Where was there time to love when you had to make sure you always kept a clean persona? He'd grown to think there was no such thing as love.

And then he'd seen the look in Kaitlyn's eyes when she got enthusiastic over their spats. She had fire, she had charisma, and she had plenty of passion.

But she was a Weasley. 


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

"Did Dameon say anything to you while you were making your potion yesterday?"

"What do you mean?"

Selma glared at her best friend over breakfast the next day. She had decided not to ask her friend too many questions about what had happened in their Potions class the day before. It was probably very awkward for her, but she _needed_ to know.

"Are you joking? Do you remember what I told you? Dameon _fancies_ you."

"You've finally done it, Selma. You've gone completely nutters."

Her friend only shook her head at Kaitlyn. "You just wait. You just wait," she warned. "Next thing you know, he'll be asking you to go to the bloody Yule Ball with him."

Kaitlyn slammed her goblet of pumpkin juice down on the table, causing several heads to glance her way. "What do you want from me, Selma? Do you _want_ me to go with him?"

Selma's eyes widened considerably. "Oh, good heavens _NO!_" she bellowed. The onlookers stared at them curiously.

"Then why do you keep insisting that he 'fancies' me? Honestly, why even bother telling me?" Kaitlyn shot at her friend, not realizing how fired up she was becoming.

"I was just warning you, Kate, I wanted you to know!"

"Why BOTHER? You're just going to continue telling me that he fancies me when you don't even want me to do anything about it!"

"No, Kate, what's wrong? Why are you getting so up in arms about all of this?"

"I'll tell you why!" Kaitlyn shrieked, standing up. Several heads had turned her way now. "It's this bloody gossip crap that gets my goat, Selma! You've always known that! Why even go to the trouble of telling me thousands of times over that someone fancies me when you know damn well you don't want me to pursue a relationship with that person? What have you got against him, anyway?"

Selma stared at her friend in shock. She too, jumped up. "So _that's_ what this is all about! I knew it! You fancy him as well!"

Kaitlyn looked highly affronted. "It just so happens that I do not fancy anyone! I'm just sick and tired of you trying to dictate who I should and shouldn't date in this bloody school!"

"This is about him, isn't it? You're upset because I don't want you dating him! Why would ever want to, Kate? He hates your family, his father has had a grudge against your father and your uncle since they went to school here, and most of all, he dislikes you!"

"THEN WHY BOTHER TELLING ME HE FANCIES ME?" Kaitlyn screamed. The Great Hall went silent and every eye set upon Kaitlyn. She felt her face grow hot. She grabbed her books, and feeling tears cloud her eyes, she ran quickly to the library.

Commotion broke out in the Hall, trying to figure out what was going on, but before anyone could notice his disappearance, Dameon fled from his table to go after her.

Sitting in the back corner of the library, Kaitlyn always felt like she was right at home. Oddly enough, this had been her mother's favorite place to brood (_'It was mostly about your stupid git of a father that I had reason to be upset,' 'Excuse yourself! Those fights were not one sided!' 'Was I talking to you? Keep out of this conversation!' 'You were talking _about_ me, which gives me grounds to eavesdrop.' 'Hopeless.' 'Insufferable.' 'Where's that library now, I ask!'_).

There were hot tears flowing down Kaitlyn's cheek. She pressed her hands to her eyes so as not to let the tears escape. What was she crying about? Getting into a fight with her best friend? No, that couldn't be it. They had fought worse than this on occasion, and their grudges never lasted very long. It had to have been what she said, but that was just the problem. What about what Selma said did Kaitlyn have the most trouble dealing with?

A voice called out her name in the library and Kaitlyn couldn't help but be startled. _Dameon! What in Merlin's name is _he_ doing in here?_

"Kaitlyn," he whispered, walking over to her table. He looked genuinely concerned. Had he heard what they were fighting about? Did he have any idea that she was in the back of the library, crying because of him? Was it really him that she was fighting about?

He sat down across from her and remained silent for a few minutes. Kaitlyn felt surrounded all of a sudden. She was filled with Dameon's presence… she could feel him everywhere. He was only sitting right in front of her.

"Dameon, I think I'm ill."

"Shall I take you to the hospital wing then?"

Kaitlyn uncovered her tearstained eyes. Was he amused by all of this? It certainly did sound like it. She wiped the tears away and gazed down at the table. She couldn't look at him, whatever she did, she had to avoid eye contact.

"What does it matter to you anyway?" she shot at him, not meaning to sound as rude as she did. She somehow just couldn't help it. "I mean, you're constantly baiting me into those silly arguments which you _know_ I'm always going to win. Why do you do even do it?"

Dameon's eyes now fell onto the table as Kaitlyn dared to finally look up. "You don't want to know why."

"Why do you think I asked you? To hear myself talk?"

"You don't want to know, Kaitlyn, just trust me," he said. His eyes finally landed on hers. It was all Kaitlyn could do not to gasp in shock. Tears were forming in his eyes as well.

"Dameon, why do you think I asked?" she repeated. "Why do you get me into fights, when you know that all I'm going to do is lash out and crush your ego?"

He flipped his silver-blond hair out his eyes and made to stand up. "Don't ask me anymore questions. I came in here to ask you all of the questions and suddenly you're interrogating me. That doesn't seem right. What happened in there, Kaitlyn? Why were you screaming?"

She looked down at her fingers again. "I… I can't tell you that."

Dameon narrowed his eyes at her. "Yes you can, you just don't want to."

"No! I don't!" she shot at him, glaring back up at him. "Are you satisfied? I don't want to tell you, Dameon. Who are you to me? Who are you?"

"I don't know," he said, the hollow look in his eyes returning. "I came into this library hoping to find the answer to that question."

"Well you're not going to find it," she whispered. "You're a Malfoy, a Slytherin… you're not supposed to be consorting with a lowly Gryffindor, and a Weasley Gryffindor at that. Who paid you, Malfoy? Who gave you the Galleons to make me believe… oh it doesn't matter what I believed. You're not supposed to be talking to me, much less asking me why I'm crying."

Dameon was shocked beyond speech. Why was she saying all of this to him? Did his name actually matter to her that much? And he actually thought… He stood up then, clenching his hands into fists.

"I have a lot of good reasons for what I do, Weasley. I am not just a stupid little boy with no direction. I avoided you for three years for a good reason, I baited you into fights for a good reason, and I came into this library for a good reason. I don't just go about doing things out of the pure enjoyment of doing so. I have direction."

"And I don't? You don't think that fight was about nothing? That fight… the reason I'm crying… it's nothing you're to be concerned with."

"Then _why_ did I come in here, Kaitlyn?"

She stood up, gathering her books once again. She glared at Dameon, her voice cool and biting. "Answer your questions, Dameon, and I'll answer mine."

With that, she walked out of the library toward the hospital wing. _I am sick_, she thought to herself. _Let someone try and make me believe anything different._

Realizing that she had screwed up with Dameon was not enough. She had to sit next to Selma through almost all of her classes. They were not speaking to each other, and the air around them was tense and awkward. Heather tried desperately to make up for it by talking to each of them equally. Neither responded very well. Both of them were far too angry to speak much at all.

Charms, which was usually a favorite class of Kaitlyn's, passed horribly for her. They were just beginning their work on summoning charms, something that Kaitlyn had already learned years before with her mother. Therefore, Kaitlyn spent most of the hour mulling over the past events in her head. She thought about her explosive fight with Selma that had led up to a seriously bitter fight with Dameon. She was not used to that kind of a fight with him. It was what made it that much harder… if that was it at all.

Heather looked over at her friends hopelessly. "Come on, you two! This is completely nonsensical, and you know it!"

"Tis not," Selma muttered, sounding very much like a two-year-old. "I was merely pointing something out to her and she went and bit my head off."

"If she was so insistent upon pointing this something out, she could have at least a small reason as to why she was doing it in the first place."

"Are you two listening to this? It's completely ridiculous!" Heather exclaimed, aiming her wand at a book and muttering, "_Accio_!" She looked at her surly friends. Selma was having trouble conquering the charm while Kaitlyn easily summoned things from all over the classroom. "I mean, what was the fight even about? No one explained it to me!"

Kaitlyn sighed heavily. "Well, you know how Selma is. She's been telling me all week that Dameon Malfoy _fancies_ me¯"

"¯Which he does, but continue."

Kaitlyn found that she couldn't. "What do you mean 'which he does?' I can't believe this! It's a conspiracy, I'll tell you right now! Selma's been telling me this all week, saying, 'Oh I suspect he'll ask you to the Ball,' and then when I ask if I should go, she replies, 'Oh of course not! He's a Malfoy!' Honestly, if you're going to waste your time trying to play matchmaker when you don't even want me to go after him, what's the use?"

Selma sighed this time, lifting her head up off of the desk and setting her wand down. "Listen, Kate, I never meant to hurt you. I just didn't really understand why you were getting so defensive about… Malfoy, of all people."

Kaitlyn stiffened. "Was I getting defensive? I hardly noticed. It's just… Selma you know how much I despise gossip and whispering about people. How is that fair to those other people? You know I've always hated that. I suppose that's why my mother spent all of her time at Hogwarts with _males_," she said as an afterthought.

Selma shrugged. "I know, Kate, and I'm sorry. It was stupid of me to tell you all that when I really don't even want you getting near Malfoy. Stupid really, that he would fancy anyone."

Kaitlyn felt herself bristle suddenly. "What do you mean?"

"Oh, he just seems far too self-centered to think about anyone else, you know what I mean? He is a Malfoy after all."

Selma and Kaitlyn looked at each other quickly and smiled. It was not Heather's turn to sigh. She put a hand to her chest and said, "I'm so relieved. It's about time you two made up. I thought I was going to have a near heart attack."

Kaitlyn smiled at her friends. She had made up with Selma and felt much better about being able to talk to her, but that was not what had been weighing on her mind all day.

It was her fight with Dameon. They had left so much unsaid… so many questions were unanswered. What was she going to do the next time she saw him? Luckily, he answered _that_ question before she had much more time to ponder on it.

Kaitlyn didn't feel as comfortable around Selma right then as she wanted to feel and wasn't up to spending a lot of time in front of a warm, common room fire. She found her refuge in the back corner of the library yet again, studying for classes and doing her homework.

However, her homework was not what was holding her attention at that moment. All she could think about was her sudden feelings toward…

"Kaitlyn?"

She looked up to see Dameon approaching her cautiously. She braced herself, cleared her throat and threw her hair over her shoulder defiantly. Her voice came out less steady than she hoped it would. "What are you doing here?"

He put his books down and gestured to the seat. "May I?"

She gave a small, brisk nod to let him know she wanted him to sit, but not to happily. He sat down across from her and leaned back in the chair. He crossed his arms in front of his chest and peered at her, through her eyes and deep down into her, in a way only he could. He flipped the hair out of his eyes again and smirked lazily at her. "I know what you're up to, Kaitlyn, and it's not going to work."

She averted his gaze, only looking back at her work hurriedly. "What am I doing?"

"Pretending to be angry with me."

She looked down at her essay. "What if I am angry with you?"

"You're not. And you know that if I'm not angry with _you_ that you cannot possibly be angry with me."

Kaitlyn didn't look up. Tears clouded her vision for a second as she stopped writing. He was right. She couldn't be angry with him. She looked up and blinked the tears out of her eyes. His expression changed slightly. Her voice wavered a bit when she answered, "You owe me a few answers, Dameon Malfoy."

"And you owe me some, Kaitlyn Weasley. Why were you crying?"

"Why do you fight with me?"

They both remained silent for a long time. Kaitlyn decided that it was now or never… she was going to answer his questions because she knew deep down if she did, he would answer hers. She pushed her books aside and leaned over the table, closing the small gap between her and Dameon. He gulped.

"The first thing you have to know about me, Dameon, is that I cannot stand the way females treat other people. They gossip, they tell lies, they cheat, they…"

"I know, I know," Dameon said, nodding. "What does this have to do with your crying? Just skip to that part, please."

"Um," Kaitlyn wasn't sure how to proceed. How was she going to tell him what Selma had said without him getting offended? "You see, my friend Selma… she is one of those girls. She told me something and I was very insulted because…"

Dameon leaned over even further. Kaitlyn's breath caught in her throat. His face was merely inches away from her own. "Don't leave any details out. I want you to say everything. I don't appreciate it when people hold details from me. That's something you should know about _me_."

"Even if it could cause you pain?"

"Don't spare me, Kaitlyn. I want you to be honest."

She looked around and then put her hands on her head, frustrated. "You're not supposed to be seen here, with me, of all people. You're a Malfoy. God, do you know that? You're a bloody Malfoy!"

Dameon sat back in his chair and focused his eyes on another part of the wall behind her. "Don't you think I know that? Don't you think that's been pounded into my head enough that I would have figured that out by now, Kaitlyn?" His eyes grew to their cold, hollow haze once again. "I can't do anything about my name, but I can do something about my character. Just because my father is a coldhearted snake doesn't mean I am."

Kaitlyn closed her eyes and felt the tingling sensation of tears come back again. "Selma kept saying… she kept saying that the reason you were fighting with me was because… was because you… you…"

"I _what_, Kaitlyn? JUST SAY IT!" Dameon yelled at her.

"All right! She said you fancied me, all right! She said you bloody well fancied me! And I asked her what I was going to do about it, and she told me nothing! I shouldn't do anything because you're a Malfoy and I'm a Weasley… there was nothing _to_ be done… and I yelled at her, I yelled! I asked her why she was telling me all of this when it was just a waste of her time! If she doesn't want me to do anything about it… why was she telling me? Then she had the nerve to tell me that that was not what I was angry about in the first place! I couldn't believe it!"

Dameon was stunned into silence. He gulped once more, stared at Kaitlyn, and with the tears he didn't want to show her in his eyes, he asked, "That wasn't it, was it?"

Kaitlyn said nothing and only glared at Dameon. "It's your turn."

"Excuse me?"

"It's your turn. Tell me why you keep fighting with me. And I expect the same deal. Leave nothing out."

He leaned forward again, putting his hands palm down on the table. "Kaitlyn… you challenge me. Do you know that? I'm sure you've heard this from plenty of people about me," he said, smirking. "No one in this school has dared to even talk back to me the way you have. They know that if they make one false move, I could send word to my father and it would be all over for them. Do you know how hard it is to make friends when you've got that kind of reputation? All of your so called friends fear you… that's not friendship!" he spat, running his hands through his hair. He pulled them down and clasped them together. "You are the only person in this entire school who has ever spoken to me like I am lesser as opposed to greater than you. It really shocked me. I was completely astounded."

Kaitlyn felt herself smile. "I… astounded you?"

Dameon nodded. "I can't believe I'm telling you all of this… but… I am so starved for that, you have no idea. I want someone to treat me like they're not afraid of me, someone to treat me like I'm not going to terminate them if I become bored. You were definitely right that one argument we had, when I told you to watch it. When you asked me what I would do… I wouldn't do anything, and I never have. It's like I told you, I'm not like my father. It's just the curse of the name. Don't tell him, but if I could, I'd change my surname in an instant."

Kaitlyn's mouth dropped open in surprise. She couldn't believe the confession she was suddenly getting from him. She'd asked one simple question and it had turned into…

But he suddenly seemed to understand. Realization dawned on him when he sat back to think about all he had said.

"Dameon…"

"No!" he yelled, leaping up. "I can't believe… I can't believe I just… no… I didn't just say that, did I? Kaitlyn… what am I doing? What are you doing to me? Why did I just tell you that? I can't… I can't do this, Kaitlyn… I can't…"

"Dameon, don't! You're speaking your heart, what's wrong with that?"

Kaitlyn stood up next to him and felt completely disappointed when his Malfoy stature returned, the dead look about him returning to his eyes. "There's no such thing as a heart to heart, Weasley."

"Dameon! No!" she cried desperately, grabbing his arm to keep him from leaving.

He jerked it out of her grasp and glared at her. "What do you know about _pain_, Weasley? Do you know what it feels like to sleep in a cold, lonely bed every night? Do you know what it feels like to wish your father gave a damn about your schoolwork, or how many friends you had, or if you had a good day? No. You've _never_ had to deal with that, Weasley. You came from a home where your parents were so in love that it sickened you. You didn't have to wish and hope for it. It just came."

Kaitlyn stopped him as he turned to leave again. "Then what's so wrong with trying to let it in?"

Dameon stuck his nose up. "Is there really such a thing as love? When you're denied of something, do you ever truly believe it exists?"

Kaitlyn didn't know what to do. She felt completely helpless. She wanted to throw her arms around him, tell him there was love, and she was willing to give it. But she couldn't. She knew she couldn't, so all she could do was watch him leave.

He seemed to know what she was thinking. He set his jaw, replying, "You can't help me, Weasley. You've been burdened with an overabundance."

"That doesn't mean I can't help you."

"No one can."

He pulled his arm out of her grasp and turned around. Kaitlyn could do nothing more than watch him leave. After having bared his soul to her, he was completely closing off again. He most certainly was not used to talking to anyone who was not afraid of him, and that fact scared him even more. 


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

_'How am I supposed to help a friend in need when that friend doesn't even know it? Mum, this is one I don't think even you can answer with a book. I need you to go off of your pure intuition. Does what I'm saying make sense to you? He's never known compassion or real friends, and he tried to tell me all of this. That's when he realized that he was saying too much and walked away. He told me that I've been given so much love, I can't possibly know what he's going through. Mum, I really need your help._

_Love,_

_Kaitlyn.'_

She sent the letter within minutes of the conversation she had with Dameon. She received a letter the next day during lunch, but it was not from her parents. It was from her favorite aunt and uncle.

Selma and Heather jumped at the sight of the letter. They loved to see Kaitlyn receive things from her famous Uncle Harry, which only proceeded to perturb her. He was only her favorite Uncle Harry, the man who used to buy her treats from Honeydukes when her mum said no. The man who took her for her first ride on a broomstick. Her Uncle Harry.

"Can I see what it says, Kate?"

She rolled her eyes. "Can I read it first, please? After all, he is _my_ uncle!" she exclaimed. She opened the letter and laughed the moment she did. He'd sent her a picture. It was of her Aunt Ginny, Sara, and him.

_'Dearest Katydid (my favorite niece),_

_According to your delightfully well-informed mother, you are doing splendidly at school. Top marks, I expect. After all, your mother is the famous Hermione Granger. Have you worked on Summoning in Charms yet? I'm still very impressed that you managed to learn them when you were twelve, Katydid. I couldn't get the hang of it when I was fourteen!_

_I expect you've already bought your dress robes for the Yule Ball. Fabulous. Your friend Heather will probably go into detail about how lousy a date to her mother I was. After all, I didn't have my mind on girls until your Aunt Ginny joined the Quidditch team._

_Anyway, do you have a date yet? That's a lot of the reason I'm writing to you. Your wonderful aunt wanted to know, but is too busy lately to write. Of course, she should be resting, but does she listen to me? Of course not! I sincerely hope she doesn't get a hold of this letter before I send it to you. She'll have my head for calling her stubborn. As if she needed to be told anymore._

_Now I sound like your mother. I really should get back to work. Sara's expecting me in the garden. Write me back as soon as you can!_

_Your favorite uncle (don't lie, you know I am),_

_Uncle Harry-head_

_P.S. We expect you home ASAP when your aunt has the baby. We decided that you are to be the first niece to hold him. Well, Ginny decided. I don't get much choice anymore. Love you!_

Kaitlyn laughed maniacally at the thought of her Aunt Ginny waddling around their flat, ordering her uncle around. He was much bigger than her aunt, but it was no secret that Ginny had much more control than Harry. It had always been that way and Harry had never seemed to mind. He was too in love with her aunt to care.

"Aw! They look so cute together. I'm glad nothing happened with my mum and your uncle. That would have been crazy, wouldn't it? I can't believe she didn't go to the Yule Ball with my father! They didn't even get together until seventh year. They were more thick than your parents, Kate!" Heather said, looking at the picture.

Kaitlyn sighed, rereading the letter. Did she have a date yet? Of course her Aunt Ginny would want to know. She was just like that. But she didn't have an answer for her Aunt Ginny.

Was she even going to _get_ a date?

It was the middle of November and talk of the Yule Ball was increasing. Almost everyone in Gryffindor who was a fourth year and above (and even some third years) had a date. She felt that if she didn't act soon, she was probably going to be left alone in her wonderfully elegant robes. Her suddenly apathetic attitude toward relationships and the male gender could have been preventing her from finding someone to go that ball with. It never even occurred to her that perhaps she was exuding the fact that she wanted no one.

Then why was Dameon tangoing with her?

She shook his name out of her head before she went crazy again. She was sure she had reached him, but then he'd just shut down again. Now they were back to 'Weasley' and 'Malfoy.' It couldn't have been worse in that respect. All she had going for her was the fact that John Wood still didn't have a date, and he was looking awfully interested lately.

"I know he's going to ask you," Heather whispered to her the next night at dinner.

Kaitlyn's head flew up. Her eyes immediately landed on the Slytherin table. "Excuse me?"

"John," Heather said, nudging her. She turned and saw the fanatical glint in John's eye as he talked to his teammates about Quidditch. He suddenly turned his gaze toward her though and smiled shyly. Kaitlyn pulled her eyes away before she could stare too long.

It was happening in slow motion. John was telling his friends he'd be back in a minute, getting up from the table, and approaching.

Kaitlyn panicked. The last thing she wanted was to be cornered by John. Did she really want this? Did she want to go with him? He wouldn't be free forever, but then again… no.

"Excuse me," she blurted out, grabbing her things and running out of the Great Hall at a breakneck speed. John turned around, making to follow her, but stopped in his tracks. Was he going to ask her later, or did he realize that maybe she didn't _want_ to be asked, as it seemed so many other boys in the school had?

She escaped into the hallway and managed to calm herself down somewhat. She knew she needed to send another letter to her mother, and she needed to do it right away.

Kaitlyn dared not to even look back as she headed up to the owlery. All she needed to focus on was what she was going to write home. How would she phrase this to her mother? How _could_ she phrase it? There were only so many words to describe the way she suddenly felt. Was it loneliness? Sadness?

She opened the door to the owlery and was instantly hit with the pungent scent of birds, the musty attic, and dust. She turned to close the door and heard a floorboard creak across the room.

"Hello? Who's here?" she called.

Expecting to see a first or second year pop up from amongst the birds, she ventured closer. "Hello?"

"Kaitlyn?" came the voice back. It was Dameon, of all people. The person she had wanted to write home about… sort of. She straightened her shoulders as she stared at him.

"Hello, Dameon," she greeted. "What are you doing up here?"

"Sending word home," he said, staring at her. An awkward silence followed. They both tried to speak at once.

"Dameon, I…"

"Listen…"

They stopped, staring at each other for a second. Kaitlyn turned around to leave but stopped again when she heard Dameon's voice behind her.

"Wait! Please, don't leave," he called calmly.

She looked up and then turned around. "What do you want? I mean… seriously? You have the nerve to talk to me now?"

"Yes, Kaitlyn… I wanted to apologize for the way I acted the other day. I was just… I was scared."

She frowned, all hostility and anger forgotten. "Scared of what?"

He sighed, leaning against the wall behind him. He looked down at his hands and suddenly became very interested in his fingernails. "I told you what my home life is like, Kaitlyn. I've never known anyone who cares about what I have to say… that is, I never _knew_ anyone like that. That was until I met you, and that scares me. I don't know how to react to you sometimes. You surprise me."

Kaitlyn sighed heavily. "You surprise me as well, Dameon. No person has ever made me think the way you make me think… or feel."

His eyes filled with tears again as he looked up at her. "What do you mean by that?"

Kaitlyn couldn't help the tears form in her eyes as well. "What are you talking about?"

"Come on, Kaitlyn, _tell me_!" he pleaded in a tone so desperate that it surprised her. "What do you mean by I make you feel something different? Please tell me."

She dared to take a step closer to him, gulping down her pride and closing her eyes, trying to evade the tears. "It's just like how you see me. No one has ever challenged me. I'm just another girl, another Weasley… no one looks at me the way I'd love to be looked at. My parents are so in love with each other that it takes my breath away. It also makes me want that same thing. Why can't someone look at me like I'm their world? That's what I saw in you, Dameon, believe it or not. When you _really_ saw me at Flourish and Blotts that day, I knew that there was something about me… something that maybe someone would look at one day."

Dameon moved closer to Kaitlyn. "That's how I make you feel? Special, like someone wants you?"

Kaitlyn nodded, expecting him to make a sarcastic comment about her feelings. But instead, she felt his hand take hers and was surprised at how soft his fingers felt on hers. She looked up into his eyes quickly, not sure what to think.

"Will you go to the Ball with me?"

Tears slid down Kaitlyn's cheek, but she had no idea why. She couldn't bring herself to look at Dameon, but the words had penetrated her heart. Maybe there was hope, after all. Maybe there was something about herself she'd failed to see that Dameon _had_ seen. Maybe he was genuinely interested.

_Maybe you should answer him. He just asked you to the Ball!_

Her eyes landed on his and she was shocked. He too, was crying. "Yes. I'd like to go the Ball with you, Dameon."

A smile flickered onto his face and he stared down at her. Kaitlyn couldn't stop her body from moving toward his and wrapping her arms around his waist. He seemed a bit taken aback, like he had never been hugged so tenderly… or at all.

His arms tentatively wrapped around her shoulders and the longer they stayed locked together, the longer they started to realize what everything meant. Kaitlyn really started to believe that love was not just a fantasy any longer. It was coming and she was ready for it.

Dameon couldn't believe how good it felt to have someone care for him as much as Kaitlyn did. He'd never known the feeling of _not_ being completely alone. It was the most wonderful feeling in the world. She was willing to listen to him, to talk to him like he was a normal person, to challenge him, to love him… she was even holding him like she cared.

And his heart soared. Gone was the loneliness of being a Malfoy. He was now ready to open his soul to the warmth of this so called peasant-like Weasley. If love was gold, Kaitlyn Weasley would have been the wealthiest witch in all of the world.

He wanted to share the fortune.


	7. Chapter 7

"I don't know how to write this letter, Selma," Kaitlyn whispered to her friend that night. She had told both of her best mates about what happened in the owlery, and while completely shocked at the events, they'd quickly grown accustomed to the fact that Dameon Malfoy was not, in the figurative sense, a true Malfoy. It took a couple hours of explanation, but Kaitlyn was happy to think that she'd finally made her friends see reason. Now she had to write to her parents and tell them. She couldn't keep it secret for long, especially since her mother would want pictures.

"Your mother will understand if you explain it the way you did to us," Selma told her, flipping through her books on Kaitlyn's bed.

Kaitlyn leaned back, letting the feather of her quill pen gently tickle her face. "My father's going to have kittens when he reads this."

"Then word it properly," Selma said. "Your father's just the type who overreacts. You've always known that."

Kaitlyn sighed once again, and then began to write. She couldn't stop herself. The words flowed onto the paper and before she had a chance to chicken out, she closed the letter and sent it with Selma's owl.

Closing her eyes and propping her head on her pillow, Kaitlyn felt her body tense. Knowing how her parents reacted to things like this, she knew she was going to receive a reply within the next day.

Kaitlyn knew her parents well. The next day at breakfast, Selma's owl came back with a letter. It appeared to be three parchments long. She was just happy not to receive a Howler.

Selma scooted over closer to her. "I hope they're not too hard on you, Kate."

Kaitlyn only gulped as she opened the letter with trembling hands. She knew as soon as she opened it that her mother had written as calmly as possible. Her father had not been as calm. She could see his large, loopy script at the bottom in practically all capitals. Heather looked over as well. They read it silently.

'_Kaitlyn,_

_I'm ever so glad someone asked you to the Ball. Although… I was surprised at who had asked you. It is common knowledge that our families are not the friendliest, for reasons almost everyone in the wizarding world will tell you. Darling, if he's as different from his family as you say he is, of course I will believe you._

_Know that I am not angry with you, dear. I have not met this boy so it would be completely unfair of me to pass judgment on him. It just seems so odd to me that my daughter, a Weasley, would fall for someone with that kind of a reputation._

_I know his family, darling, and I feel it is my duty as a mother to protect you. So now I have to warn you about the Malfoys, even though I'm sure you've heard all of it._

_Lucius Malfoy, Dameon's grandfather, was a Death Eater for Voldemort, and I've explained all of that to you. It all ended when you were just a toddler, so you have no reason to remember any of it. Lucius was a true supporter of the Dark Lord, and his son, Draco, only followed in his footsteps. Draco had, on many occasions, tried to murder your father, your uncle, and me while he was still at Hogwarts. Your uncle and he were constantly in fights about different things, and your father (being the irrational person he can be) lost his temper quite frequently around him._

_I haven't even begun to tell you the extent of all the encounters we've had with Draco Malfoy, and I don't know if I want to. I just want you to know… the Malfoy family is a dangerous one, and you should be well aware of that._

_Now I can understand why Dameon would feel alone. After all, Draco is not a very loving person, nor would he make a loving parent. I'm not sure if you knew this, but Draco fell for a Hufflepuff at school, a very sweet, kind girl that turned Draco into a loving person as well. She died while delivering Dameon, and Draco became angry and bitter. Dameon reminded him of his wife and that made him loathe being a father even more. Draco holds Dameon responsible for his wife's demise, and that is very unfair to Dameon._

_It sounds to me like a lot of his mother's traits passed to him, because he sounds nothing like Draco. Other than the fact that he has a very forceful and eloquent tongue, he doesn't possess one quality that his father does._

_Just be careful, love. I don't want you to get too deep into a relationship with a Malfoy without realizing the repercussions. If Draco were to find out that Dameon was dating a Weasley… there's no telling what could happen._

_Also, be very gentle with Dameon. It sounds to me like he has _never _received any love whatsoever. Too much at once could possibly scare him. You are a very loving, caring person and I know you are dying to let someone know they mean that much to you, but be careful. Don't lay on the love too thick right away. He'll run away._

_I've said my piece, my dear. I expect to see pictures!_

_Love,_

_Mum_

_PS The news has been broken to your father… very gently. Please don't take any of what he has to say to you personally._'

Kaitlyn sighed. Selma and Heather smiled at her. "Your mum understands! That's enough," Heather said cheerfully.

Kaitlyn shook her head. "It… it really isn't. My father is everything to me… and what if he doesn't want to accept this, ever? I don't know if I'm even going to be able to read his note to me." She set the other two pages of the letter, which appeared to be her father's rant, down on the table. She felt tears well in her eyes as she looked up toward the Slytherin table.

Dameon was staring right at her again. His face brightened when he saw her and he flashed her a tiny grin. His smile soon faded when he saw the look on her face. He nodded his head toward the doors of the Hall and both he and Kaitlyn got up from their seats to go talk.

Kaitlyn stopped outside of the doors and leaned up against the wall. Dameon frowned. "What's going on?" he asked.

She sighed and then looked up at him. She couldn't help but smile. He _cared_. That was all that mattered. Just the simple fact that he cared was enough to send her heart reeling. Her tears subsided.

"I told my parents who I was going to the Ball with," she whispered and she could hear him sigh as well.

"I figured as much," he said just as quietly as she had. He leaned against the wall next to her. "That's the reason why I _haven't _written home… nor will I."

"I don't blame you, Dameon," she whispered. She looked up at him and saw his tender face. He was smiling gently at her, as if he understood and wanted to help. She couldn't help but feel completely floored. "I know things are harder for you than I could ever imagine for me. I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize. Our family is not something we choose in life. It's how we choose to live it."

Kaitlyn looked up at him, her eyes twinkling magically. "I've never heard a wiser word spoken, Dameon."

He said nothing but looked down at her hands, took one in his, and brought it to his lips slowly. Kaitlyn closed her eyes and relished in the tingling sensation she felt in her hand, being that close to his heart. She opened them and saw his face hovering very close to hers, peering into her eyes.

"Kaitlyn," he whispered quietly. "I… I've never known anyone like you. Can I ask you something?"

"Anything," she managed to choke out. Her breathing was somewhat labored, being this close to him.

"Will you promise never to leave me?" he asked, peering at her. He put his forehead on hers, sighing. He wanted to be as close to her as possible.

"I promise, Dameon," she said, putting her hand on his cheek. "I'll never leave you as long as you never leave me."

"Never, never," he whispered, wrapping his arms around her waist. They stayed like that for a long time before Dameon smiled mischievously at her.

"What?" she asked, smirking. She was suddenly struck with how unbelievably irresistible Dameon could make himself, especially when he was happy. She found her knees weakening just staring into his sparkling midnight blue eyes.

"I have an idea," he whispered. He pulled his head off from hers, took her hand, and led her up the stairs of Hogwarts.

Kaitlyn peered over her shoulder. "What are you doing?" she whispered harshly, though she had a smile stuck to her face all the while. "We're _supposed_ to be at dinner, in the Great Hall."

"Sh!" he said, laughing and half dragging Kaitlyn up the stairs. "Since when has a Malfoy ever listened to a Granger?"

She scoffed and rolled her eyes, allowing herself to be directed up the stairs. She looked over her shoulder and giggled. Dinner was over and the rest of the student body was spilling out of the Great Hall.

Dameon saw what she was looking at and pulled her closer as he proceeded to run faster. "What!" Kaitlyn squealed, but Dameon covered her mouth with his hand quickly. This sent a tingle of delight up her back. His hands were warm and soft against her lips, and they smelled heavenly.

Dameon felt the sensation and drew his hand back slowly. They took a moment to smile at each other until he looked over her shoulder and started to run quickly in the opposite direction.

"Dameon! What are you doing?" she asked, running after him.

"Trust me," he said, not stopping.

They ran up the stairs for a few more minutes before Dameon reached the floor he wanted. Pulling out his wand and looking over his shoulder cautiously, he pointed his wand at the wall, whispered something Kaitlyn couldn't hear, and the wall opened up.

"I've known about this since my first year," he said, holding out his hand. "Come in."

Kaitlyn did as she was told, stepping into the hole in the wall. She gasped at the sight she saw. It was obviously one of the many undiscovered rooms at Hogwarts. It would have been completely pitch black if not for the dancing faeries and the low, pulsating glow of light coming from the center of the room.

She stood transfixed for a few seconds before Dameon addressed her. "Can you believe how wonderful this is?"

"No," she sighed. "When did you _ever_ find this?"

"It was a long time ago," he said, taking a spot on the floor. "It was right before Christmas when I was eleven… I received a letter from my father. It was the first time he'd ever said he wanted to spend Christmas alone. I was so devastated. I wanted to just escape from the world. I ran up as far as I could go, and I sat against this hole. I started to practice my Charms and the next thing I knew, the wall opened up and I fell backward. That's when I discovered this place. It's magical, isn't it? I come here every single time I feel distressed. I came here every time you and I had a fight this year."

Kaitlyn looked at him, completely surprised. "You did _what_?"

The light cast an ethereal glow on Dameon's face. His dark eyes turned shades of purple and green. He nodded, leaning his head back against the wall as he watched faeries dance. "It's just like I told you before, you are the only person who treats me like Dameon instead of a Malfoy. The first time we fought, I expected you to back down automatically, but you didn't. When you retaliated, I got really angry. I thought it was me, something I had done wrong. I thought I was losing my touch. But then… we started fighting more and I became hopeful, almost too hopeful. I'd get angry when we fought and I'd come up here to reflect. I thought there was never going to be a chance to turn everything around. I was sure that if you and I became friendly, you'd be the only real friend I ever had."

Kaitlyn couldn't believe what she was hearing. Her mother had warned her not to push, but what was she supposed to do or say when he started spouting off his feelings?

"Oh… Dameon… I…" she began, but stopped when he looked right into her eyes, their intensity burning fiercely into hers.

"Kaitlyn," he stated. He took his hand in hers and whispered, "Just watch with me."

And she did just that. Her head lazily lolled onto his shoulder and he let his fall on top of hers. They watched the faeries dance for an immeasurable amount of time. Kaitlyn slowly drifted off to sleep.

The Christmas season came around in full swing. The students and teachers alike were getting into the spirit of the holiday. The large, decorated Christmas trees were being put up in the common rooms of all the houses. Garland and lights were strung up in all of the classrooms, mistletoe was placed at random places throughout Hogwarts, and the rush to shop in Hogsmeade became rampant.

Selma ran down the stairs to the Great Hall excitedly, clutching her school robes and her books against her chest protectively. She raced into the Hall, unseen by the multitude of students who were eating dinner.

She rushed over to the Gryffindor table and sat in the seat Kaitlyn had saved for her. Heather sat across from her, gazing at her curiously. "Why are you so late?"

Selma turned a distinct shade of pink and looked down shyly at the table. "Merrill and I got caught under the mistletoe."

Kaitlyn spit out her pumpkin juice and started laughing. This caused an explosion to erup along the Gryffindor table. The other tables looked over to see what was so funny and laughed at the mere enjoyment of it all.

"Only _you_, Selma," she sputtered over the roar of laughter. "I can't believe you. That's too funny."

Selma said nothing and only turned redder. "I can't believe…"

"What? Can't believe what?" Heather asked, reaching over for some mashed potatoes.

Selma looked at her friends anxiously. "That was my first kiss… and it was forced."

Kaitlyn laughed at her friend and looked up to see Dameon shooting her warning glances. She frowned, but before she could say anything, John Wood sat down next to her. She smiled weakly at John. Was he going to ask… or was he just trying to get near her? Whatever it was he was trying to do, it was making her feel very sick. Her eyes landed on Dameon's as he tried not to look at her. He was doing a horrible job.

John cleared his throat. "Uh, Kate?" he asked timidly.

She grimaced at her plate. "Hullo, John."

He took a seat next to her and looked at his hands nervously. "Kaitlyn… I was uh… I was wondering…"

Kaitlyn turned away quickly so as not to hear the rest of the question.

"Will you go to the Yule Ball with me?" he blurted quickly. Kaitlyn didn't want to hear it. She _really _wanted to leave. Selma and Heather were looking on very interestedly.

She looked up at John's expectant face and grimaced. "Listen, John," she began and his face fell instantly. Her heart pounded in her chest. "It's not that I don't want to go with you…"

"No, no, I understand," he said, standing up. "I guess I waited too long to ask. Do you already have a date?"

"Yes," she said, looking away and nodding. "Yes I do."

"It's just as well," he sighed. "All right then, I guess I'll see you around, Kate," he said, walking away dejectedly.

Selma looked at her friend and smiled half-heartedly. "Don't worry about it. He'll get over the rejection."

Kaitlyn only felt worse. How was she supposed to feel? John _was_ a good guy, but he never had been and never would be her type. Too fanatical about Quidditch for her taste. She looked up and saw Dameon's eyes searching out her own. He gave her an encouraging smile and she was half tempted to get up and leave so she could talk to him when she heard her mother's owl squawk above her.

The tawny owl landed in front of her, and she couldn't help but notice the red envelope he was holding. She gulped, grabbing it.

"I can't believe it!" Selma gasped. "Why would your parents send you a Howler?"

Kaitlyn took the letter in her shaking hand and gazed at it. "It's from my father. I didn't write him back _or_ read his letter when they sent it three weeks ago. I wrote my mother back, but I felt my father didn't deserve a letter. I have no doubt that this is from him."

Heather sighed. "My mother sent me one once, so you'd better open it and get it over with."

Rolling her eyes and holding her breath, she ripped the letter open and the school became silent as Ron Weasley's voice penetrated the walls of the Great Hall.

"KAITLYN MARIE WEASLEY! I CAN_NOT_ BELIEVE YOUR AUDACITY! MAKING ME SIT AROUND FOR THREE WEEKS, WONDERING IF YOU WERE EVER GOING TO SPEAK TO ME! AND THEN DELIBERATELY SENDING A LETTER TO YOUR MOTHER AND NOT ME! I WAS WORRIED SICK!

"FURTHER MORE, YOUNG LADY, I WILL _NOT_ HAVE ANY DAUGHTER OF MINE COVORTING ABOUT WITH A BLOODY MALFOY!"

Kaitlyn felt her cheeks flush. Her eyes once again found Dameon's. He looked upset and just as flustered as she felt. Her eyes filled with tears. Why couldn't her father just understand?

"THE NEXT TIME YOU MAKE ME WORRY FOR THAT LONG, I'LL FORBID YOU TO EVEN SET _FOOT_ INTO THAT BALL!"

The letter fell to the table, burst into flame, and blew away. Selma and Heather had been holding their breath. Kaitlyn looked around at the still hall. No one was saying anything. Her eyes were blurred with tears and she couldn't keep her mind focused. Thoughts were running all over the place.

She couldn't stay still any longer. She pulled away from the table and ran quickly out of the Hall. She knew where she needed to go.

Once Kaitlyn reached the owlery, she broke down. Why didn't her father get it? Dameon was not just 'a bloody Malfoy.' Just because their fathers had bumped heads in school didn't mean that she and Dameon were that way. Sure, they had started off like that, but it was a completely different reason… wasn't it?

She dug into her bag, pulling out a piece of parchment and her quill pen. She had a few words to deliver to her father. A few nasty words that would probably get her another Howler. It didn't matter, anyway. She was perfectly fine with getting yelled at about not writing to her father up until he mentioned Dameon.

What did he know about Dameon? He hadn't even met him! It didn't matter what Draco Malfoy was like when he was at Hogwarts, Dameon was not dumb enough to make the same mistakes as his father. Then again, her father had never met Dameon… maybe that was what he needed to do.

_Does it even matter? He's being stupid and pigheaded. I _hate_ that_, she suddenly thought to herself. She began to write all of her feelings, word for word down on the paper and not even thinking twice about it, she sent it off with her mother's owl and watched it disappear. Tears clouded her eyes once more and she felt the sobs escape her body.

Kaitlyn absolutely hated crying. She loathed it entirely. Her mother had always been somewhat of a sympathetic woman. But she couldn't bring herself to be like that, and every time she felt herself start to cry, she immediately closed up. She had to. If she cried, she wouldn't appear as strong as she always did. But did that matter all of the time?

A creak sounded behind her and wiping her tears away quickly, she whirled around and saw Dameon. The look on his face nearly broke her heart. He was so concerned about her. His dark blue eyes were searching her out.

"Kaitlyn?" he called quietly.

Kaitlyn wasn't surprised that he'd followed her into the owlery. It seemed as though he'd finally figured her out, like he knew her so well. They had only known each other for the duration of their fourth year, and throughout that time, they had mostly fought. What did it all mean?

She stood up and walked over to him, forcing her tears back. His eyes found hers as he gripped her hand tightly in his.

"I'm not allowed to know Muggle traditions," he whispered, and Kaitlyn couldn't help but think that it was the strangest way to begin comforting her. "But I took Muggle Studies anyway. We've been studying classic Muggle literature, about an old British author, Shakespeare."

"Oh! I know Shakespeare!" Kaitlyn yelled excitedly. Whatever he was doing was working. She had completely forgotten why she was upset.

"Then you know Romeo and Juliet?"

Kaitlyn's eyes widened. Of course she knew it. It was _only_ one of her mother's favorite stories. She read it all the time. "What about it?"

"May I quote it?" She closed her eyes and nodded, listening to his melodic voice pouring into her ears. "_I take thee at thy word. Call me but love, and I'll be new baptized. Henceforth, I never will be_…" he paused, ready to say 'Romeo,' but instead whispered, "Malfoy."

"Oh, Dameon," she whispered. Her eyes fluttered close and she could feel his hot, sweet breath on her face. He was getting closer, the heat from his body radiating onto hers. Her lips felt hot and ready, wanting desperately to be touched.

"Kaitlyn?" the door to the owlery burst open.

Dameon and Kaitlyn jumped apart at the last second. Ben was looking around frantically as he called her name.

"Ben, I'm over here," she called exasperatedly.

"I, uh―" Ben stopped when he saw Dameon, but said nothing about it. "I just wanted to see if you were okay," he finished, frowning.

"Yes, I'm fine, Ben, thank you," she said, her cheeks flushing as she looked over at Dameon. He was uncomfortable and very upset about having been interrupted.

"Did you write Dad?"

"Yes, yes, I did," she replied quickly.

The three stood in silence for a while longer before Kaitlyn ducked out quickly and ran back to the common room. It had been a very confusing night… the Yule Ball was a week away. Everyone else (including Ben) was returning home for the holidays the next day. Kaitlyn was growing excited.

Scanning through the events of the night, she found her thoughts centering on what Damon had quoted to her.

"_Call me but love_…" Did it mean what she thought it meant? Could it be that she'd finally found what she needed? What she wanted? Or had she stumbled into something forbidden?

"Selma," Heather breathed. "Merrill is just going to _die_ when he sees you!"

"Oh, Heather! Put on your robes, I want to see you all done!"

"All right," she exclaimed, disappearing into the bathroom.

Kaitlyn opened the door to her dorm and gasped when she laid eyes on Selma. She had just come from the library where she had been studying with Dameon. Things had gone surprisingly smoothly since the fateful night she received the Howler from her father. He had still not responded to her nasty letter. She guessed he was probably too angry to write… or rather _yell_ at her. It didn't matter. She was getting on very well with Dameon whether she had talked to her parents or not.

Her mother was actually quite excited. Kaitlyn had written her several different times to ask advice about the Ball. They corresponded almost daily about it, Kaitlyn continually expressing her fear of doing something wrong or slipping up somewhere along the way. Her mother only told her to follow her heart with Dameon and she wouldn't be led astray.

So far, her mother was right. Ever since the night Dameon had spouted off Shakespeare to her, she'd seen him in a new light. Maybe it was finally coming true for her… maybe it was all clicking into place. She would probably see it all culminate at the Ball.

Selma was completely ready an hour prematurely. Heather had done her hair and makeup and was almost ready to put on her robes. Kaitlyn had found herself being so comfortable with Dameon that she didn't want to leave his company until the last possible second. That was until he decided _he_ needed to get ready and left her to her own devices.

"Selma, you look incredibly smashing!" she complimented.

Selma turned to thank her friend and look of horror crashed onto her face. "_Where_ have you been? You're NEVER going to be ready!" she screamed. She rushed over to Kaitlyn and pulled her into the bathroom. "We _have_ to get your hair and your makeup… and…" Selma tutted. "I can_not_ believe you waited this long to get ready!"

"Selma, calm down," Kaitlyn protested.

Heather walked out of the stall she was changing in, beaming. "How do I―" she gave a strange, gargled noise when she saw Kaitlyn. "You're not _ready_?" she accused.

"It's not that big a deal!" Kaitlyn objected again.

"No, no, this is a _huge_ deal!"

Within the next twenty minutes, Kaitlyn was made up and ready fro the Ball, much to her annoyance. She had wanted to take her time, but she supposed it was better if she was ready earlier. She and Dameon had agreed to meet in the entranceway of the Great Hall. She was beginning to feel nervous, and wasn't sure how to control it.

Heather had managed to curl all of Kaitlyn's hair and pile it up on her head, leaving the strands to blow against her neck. Her makeup was done so well that she barely even recognized herself. Selma was very impressed with how she handled her friend's crisis.

Kaitlyn pulled out her robes carefully, not wanting to disturb the fabric. She slipped it on and smiled as it slid down her arms perfectly. She couldn't believe how wonderful it felt to be dressed up… but she was sure the most wonderful part was dressing up for someone else.

After the long wait was over and Kaitlyn, Heather, and Selma were dressed and ready to go, the air in the room was tense and excited. Bobbing up and down on the balls of her feet. Selma was clenching and unclenching the sleeves of her robes. She turned around, and with a goofy grin on her face, asked, "Shall we?"

The other two girls nodded excitedly and followed Selma down to the common room. As none of them were attending the Ball with a Gryffindor, they spent the last few seconds walking out of the common room in a complete state of nervousness and anxiety. They stepped out of the portrait hole slowly and their hearts pounded with each step they took.

Charlie and Merrill were waiting at the bottom of the stairs for Heather and Selma. Merrill took one look at Selma and the expression on his face completely changed. He was in complete awe of the girl coming down the stairs toward him. Charlie and Heather had obviously decided to go as friends, but it was clear that Charlie wanted to say more than just, "You look nice." They linked arms with their dates, told Kaitlyn they'd see her at the Ball, and left.

Kaitlyn was then left by herself. She wrung her hands nervously, walking toward the spot where she was supposed to meet Dameon. She bit her lip, feeling her heart pound against the walls of her chest. She could now see him. He was standing at the top of a set of stairs, searching around for her. His hair was slick and groomed and he was wearing a wonderful dark blue robe with a gray turtleneck sweater underneath. He looked dashing.

She held her breath, walking up toward Dameon. He seemed to feel her presence there and turned around to look at her. His eyes twinkled when he surveyed her. "Merlin's sake, Kaitlyn Weasley!" he sighed, stepping down to shorten the distance between them. "You're so beautiful."

Kaitlyn's heart nearly stopped. She had never expected to feel so completely flattered by any face in her school. Her smile was so wide that her face hurt. She approached him slowly, holding up her robes. Her eyes met his and his fingers gently touched her face.

"If you smiled like that all the time, I'd have to start worrying," he whispered.

She frowned. "Why?"

"I don't want anyone else to steal you away," he said, taking her hand softly in his.

"Oh, Dameon," she sighed for what seemed the thousandth time since she'd known him. She closed her eyes and recited, "_I shall forget, to have thee stand there, remembr'ing how I love thy company_."

Dameon's face lit up and he led her into the Ball. "_O speak again, bright angel_."

The music in the Hall was pulsating. The dance floor was completely covered with students, having a great time. Dameon led Kaitlyn to a deserted table and they sat close together, talking.

The night passed in a blur of colors and music. Kaitlyn had left Dameon a few times to join her friends on the dance floor. Every time she'd done that, she'd come back to a proud and smiling Dameon, armed with a full cup of punch for her.

Kaitlyn was enjoying her time with Dameon immensely. They were talking and laughing when she stopped mid sentence. "Dameon?" she asked.

"Kaitlyn?"

"It's a slow song," she pointed out.

"Great ear, Kate. Let's test your eye. What color is the punch?"

Her smile widened playfully. She was glad she'd heard the nickname he'd suddenly decided to start calling her, but moreover, she was going to make him dance.

Yanking the punch out of his hand, she dragged him out to the dance floor.

"Kate, I don't― I can't― I―"

"Hush! You owe me at least one dance."

He did just that, placing his arms around her waist as she let her fingers venture onto his shoulders. His breath mingled with hers, his heat driving her crazy. She closed her eyes and brought herself closer. His breath caught, his hands moving in a soothing motion up and down her back. She felt completely relaxed and dared to rest her head on his chest. His cheek found her hair, and it suddenly felt like they were more holding each other than dancing.

After a few tranquil and blissful moments, Dameon spoke. "Kate…"

She didn't want to speak. "Hmm?"

"Do you remember when we fought in the library, and you asked me who you are to me?"

This interested her suddenly. She lifted her head up from its comfortable position. "Yes?"

He pulled away slightly and looked her in the eye. "You… you, Kaitlyn Marie Weasley, are everything to me. You are the only person who's ever bothered to see me for me. You challenge me, you see me, and I saw hope in you. You… you're everything."

"Dameon…" she whispered, touching his face softly.

"_My life were better ended by their hate, than death prorogued, wanting of thy love_."

Her fingers delicately swept across the soft skin of his face. His hands ran up the length of her arms and grasped her fingers. He leaned forward, closing his eyes. Kaitlyn knew what was coming. Her eyes fluttered shut and she felt his soft cheeks touch hers.

His lips pressed against hers magically. Kaitlyn's body stiffened. Everything felt so right, so perfect. It was all she could do not to scream in complete exhilaration.

She almost cried in agony when he pulled away. His dark, magnificent eyes were sparkling brilliantly.

"I love you."

Kaitlyn gasped, holding his hand tightly. She wasn't sure what to say. "I― Dameon…"

"It's okay," he said, chuckling. "I know you do."

She closed her mouth and smiled at him. "I do."

"Kaitlyn!"

She turned around to see Selma running up to her. She appeared to be somewhere between shocked and happy. "Your parents are here!"

"They _are_?" she squealed. Taking Dameon's hand, she followed Selma toward the front of the Hall.

Before Kaitlyn could open the doors, Dameon yanked on her hand to stop her. She turned around and faced him. "What is it?"

"I just… it's your parents…" he said. "I don't want things to get out of order with your father."

Kaitlyn sighed. "Don't worry. He won't be blatantly rude to you with me there. My mother's done a good job of taming his big mouth."

His hand squeezed hers nervously. He was obviously not looking forward to meeting the man who'd made Kaitlyn cry. She opened up the doors, and giving his hand a very confident squeeze, they strolled out to meet her parents.

Ron, for the most part, was in distress. He was obviously feeling the blow from Kaitlyn's last letter to him. Hermione appeared to have on her infamous 'I-told-you-so' face. They looked up when they heard the door open. Hermione beamed at her daughter, but Ron looked away.

"Hello, Mum," Kaitlyn said, dropping Dameon's hand to embrace her mother.

"Hello, dear. I see you've been having fun," she said, smiling at her daughter. "And this must be Dameon." She turned her gaze to him. "I've heard a great deal about you." She stuck out her hand and Dameon took it tentatively.

"Nice to meet you, Mrs. Weasley," he choked out.

Hermione laughed. "None of that. It makes me feel like an old woman! Do call me Hermione."

Dameon flushed. "All right, Mrs. Weasley."

Hermione chuckled. Kaitlyn and Ron stood next to each other uncomfortably, not saying a word. Hermione noticed this and turned to Dameon. "Well, young Master Malfoy, what do you say we take a walk? I'd like to talk to you."

Dameon looked completely startled. He wasn't sure what to say. He looked over to Kaitlyn, who just nodded. He smiled then at Hermione, offered his arm, and said, "Shall we?"

"Quite the charmer, aren't we?" Hermione mused, taking his arm. They walked off, chatting quietly. Finally, when they were out of earshot, Ron turned to Kaitlyn.

"I shouldn't have let you come to this Ball after that letter."

Kaitlyn looked down at her feet. "Would you have rather I not responded?"

"I would rather have had you written me a letter with the respect _I _deserve as your father!"

Kaitlyn couldn't believe this _was_ her father. "The respect you _deserve_? After sending me a two paged rant _and_ a Howler, you think you deserve any more than what I gave you?"

"It is not your job to determine what I deserve, young lady. I am the adult here!"

"Then will you please act like it?"

"DON'T YOU DARE RAISE YOUR VOICE TO ME!"

"You can't tell me who to be friends with!"

"I CAN SO. I brought you into this world, I can just as easily take you out."

"You're impossible!"

Ron stopped before he could say anything else. "My word. You know you sound exactly like your mother."

Kaitlyn laughed heartily. Ron put his hand on her arm. "Kate, I'm sorry for becoming so angry with you. You didn't deserve that. I was just surprised, is all."

"I understand, Dad," she said. Their eyes met. Blue on blue. Ron thought it was special to see his own eyes on his beautiful daughter's face. "I love you."

Ron's heart melted, as it had done so many times with his only daughter. He pulled her into a gigantic hug and kissed her forehead. "I love you, heart. You know you're always going to be my sweetheart. I just wanted to protect you."

Kaitlyn sniffled into her father's robes. "There's nothing to protect me from. Dameon's harmless."

"He's not the one you need protecting from, darling," he whispered. "I know his father, and I know what he can do to you if he doesn't like the situation his son is in. I don't want anything to happen to you."

"Father, you wanted to ban me from going to the ball with Dameon, not Draco," she pointed out.

Ron sighed. "Forgive me, love. Your mother has since reprimanded me for sending you a Howler."

Kaitlyn backed out of her father's arms, wiping her eyes. "I figured as much," she laughed.

He scratched his head, looking more like a timid young boy than a thirty-six-year-old man. "Did I ever tell you that your grandmother sent me a Howler?"

Kaitlyn's eyes widened. "What! Grandma did _that_! You never told me!"

"Oh yes," he said, grinning now. "It was during my second year at Hogwarts. Your Uncle Harry and I were in a bit of a crunch getting to school that year. You see… your uncle was in danger that year, and to protect him, the barrier to Platform 9 and ¾ was sealed. We took your grandfather's flying car… and crashed it straight into the Whomping Willow."

"Merlin's beard! You never told me _any_ of that!"

"I will some other time," he said, smiling mischievously at her. "I apologize for everything, Kate. I was just trying to look out for you. I've never had this problem with my children before."

Kaitlyn smiled proudly at her father and then proceeded to wrap her arms around him again. "I love you, Dad."

"I love you."

Hermione and Dameon chose that moment to return. It was obvious that they had gotten on well. They were laughing and talking. Dameon looked renewed and completely alight with life. He smiled widely at Kaitlyn when he approached.

"Your mother is delightful, Kate," he said.

"He's just being nice. I actually whipped him into shape on our excursion," Hermione said, walking over to Ron. "Did you and Kaitlyn work everything out?"

Ron smiled at his daughter and then at his wife. "Yes, I believe we did."

Kaitlyn looked at Dameon and sighed. "It wasn't as bad as you thought it was going to be, was it?" Dameon said nothing. He looked at Ron quickly. His eyes spoke volumes. Ron finally spoke up.

"Dameon, I apologize for the way I acted," he whispered. "I don't know you and I didn't give you a chance. Obviously, if my daughter likes you, you're all right."

Dameon looked up and smiled at Ron. It was all they needed.

For the time being.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N:** It's a might confusing at first, but don't worry, you'll figure it out. Oh yes, for the record, Professor Lupin is the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Just so you don't think I'm throwing him in there for nothing. He's just not mentioned a whole lot. After all, it's not his story.

" '_Contrary to popular belief, the walls of Hogwarts are impenetrable by Apparating and Disapparating witches and wizards. Therefore―' "_

_A kiss on the cheek was enough to stop Kaitlyn from reading her battered copy of Hogwarts, a History aloud. She set the book down and smiled up at Dameon. He settled next to her in the library, throwing his stuff onto the table and beaming at her._

"_Hello, love, what are you doing in here alone?" he asked, leaning close to her._

"_I was reading, as a matter of fact. I thought you had Divination?" she wondered curiously._

"_Yes, but it just ended. How long have you been in here? I could have sworn this was your hour for Herbology class."_

"_Oh, the plants we're working on still need a bit of thawing up. Since it's only the middle of March, the snow hasn't completely melted yet," she stated matter-of-factly. "How did you know to find me in here, anyway?"_

"_I didn't. I came in to do a bit of studying before you got out of class, so it's a very pleasant surprise to find you in here. What is your next class?"_

"_Charms, how about you?"_

"_Herbology. Guess I'm not going to be leaving the library," Dameon smirked._

"_Well, that's not fair."_

"_Not fair! You just spent two hours in here as well."_

"_I know… but… oh shut up."_

_Dameon could only smile at Kaitlyn sweetly. "You are just… too much."_

_She narrowed her eyes at him and tried to act cross. "I can be too much. I am not too much. Then again, I am a Weasley."_

_He could only laugh at her and kiss her cheek once again. He wrapped his arm around her waist, rested his head on her shoulder, and watched as she picked up her book and began to read again. He wanted to stay this way for the rest of his life._

Tears streamed down her face. She had to find the mansion. She just had to. It was cold… so cold outside. No one knew she was gone, no one would know where she was if she were to get murdered in the bloody cold. It was so far from Hogwarts castle. She couldn't believe she had done it. No one at Hogwarts knew she had taken the Knight Bus as soon as she was off school grounds. They had no clue she was in London, searching for the Malfoy Mansion.

What was she going to do now that she was alone, a fourteen-year-old girl, in the wilderness?

"Dameon," she whispered into the cold, dark air. "Where are you? Where… answer me… where?"

_A timid kiss was given before class that day. She and Dameon left Potions together afterward, hand in hand, talking about the previous class, laughing and teasing each other. Kaitlyn stabbed Dameon in the ribs with her sharp elbow, while he bent over in a mixture of laughter and pain._

_She ran through the halls of Hogwarts, her red hair flowing out behind her. Dameon wanted nothing more than to feel that wonderful red fieriness in between his fingers. It was so vibrant and alive, much like she was._

"_Come back here!" he yelled out, dodging between various students to get to her. He couldn't possibly lose her. Her hair was far too loud._

_Kaitlyn wasn't used to such physical activity, and eventually began slowing down. Dameon caught up with her quickly, wrapping his arms around her waist and lifting her off of the ground. She screamed, flailing her legs against him._

"_Dameon! Dameon stop it!"_

"_Why should I?"_

"_Because I said so!"_

"_Wrong answer."_

Her wand was glowing. She had charmed it to glow red once she had reached Malfoy Manor. She had to find Dameon… he couldn't be kept prisoner forever. She had to find him. She had to break him out of the prison his father was keeping him trapped in.

Had it only been the night before? Had it only been one night? It shouldn't have been any nights…

"_I love you, Kate."_

"_What do you want, Dameon?"_

"_To tell you I love you."_

_Kaitlyn looked up from her work and straight into Dameon's eyes. "Well, in that case, I love you too."_

"_Will you skive off work for a bit tonight and meet me in the Great Hall?"_

"_I knew it! It had to be something."_

"_Please?"_

_She couldn't resist the look in his beautiful blue eyes. "All right then."_

The wand was now burning a dull orange color. Kaitlyn's heart pumped. She was getting closer. Any moment now she would turn in the right direction. It was so cold out… so cold.

It was not as cold as the look she had seen in Draco Malfoy's eyes… and those fateful words that had come out of his mouth.

_In the Great Hall, Dameon and Kaitlyn found they had much to talk about that night. Dameon was always willing to listen to Kaitlyn's chatter, and she was grateful that there was someone around to listen to it. But it wasn't going to go her way that night._

_Dameon grabbed Kaitlyn's hand while she was in the middle of a story, pulled her close, and cut her off by pressing his lips onto hers. They kissed for a sweet second before he pulled away._

"_What was that all about? Trying to tell me that my stories are boring?" she asked playfully._

"_No, I just felt the need to kiss you right then. Is that such a crime?"_

"_Of course not," she said, stepping closer to him. "I might feel the need to do it once more," she whispered. Pressing her face up to his, they leaned in for another kiss._

_The door to the Great Hall burst open. Draco Malfoy was standing in the doorway, his shoulders heaving up and down in a furious rage. His cold, gray eyes were blazing, his chin quivering._

_Kaitlyn went numb. Dameon grasped her hand for dear life. Draco took a step forward._

A large mansion loomed into view as Kaitlyn's mahogany stick gleamed bright red. Her heart pounded furiously within her chest. She had to do it. He had been away from her for too long, even if it only had been for a day. She wanted him back.

"Dameon," she whispered, watching her breath fog into the air. "Please be here. Please let me get you before they find me… Dameon…"

She worked her way forward, toward the castle in which her beloved was trapped. She had to get him out and she had no idea how to go about doing it.

"_Of all the completely absurd, ridiculous, preposterous things, Dameon! A WEASLEY! A _WEASLEY! _Dameon Lucas Malfoy, I would rather find you dead in the girl's lavatory than to see you romping around with the disgusting fruit of a Mudblood and a peasant's loins."_

"_FATHER!" Dameon screamed. He had turned completely white by then. It was obvious to Kaitlyn he had never stood up to his father before. He was standing in front of her protectively, shaking like a leaf. "How _dare _you insult her like that! She is _not _disgusting!"_

_Draco's eyes narrowed on his son. He whipped his wand out and completely immobilized his son. Dameon fell to the floor in agony, never letting go of Kaitlyn's hand. "You shall _not _speak to me in such a tone, you insolent brat! I brought you up as a Malfoy and you will ACT like one! The way you disgrace your name by frolicking about with a squalid harlot makes me absolutely _sick._"_

_Kaitlyn knelt down next to Dameon, crying. She couldn't hear the verbal assault Draco was laying upon her. All she cared about was Dameon. He was in complete agony. Her body then went stiff and she fell backwards, unable to move. Draco was standing over her, his face twisted into revulsion._

"You_ will keep your filthy hands away from any part of my family, do you understand that, you Weasley garbage? Stay away from my son."_

_Too scared to speak, Kaitlyn could only hear the next few words roll off of Draco Malfoy's tongue._

"_You are to come home with me, Dameon. There's no way I can trust you on your own."_

Crying at the memory of the way Dameon reluctantly followed his father out of the castle, Kaitlyn rushed toward the windows she could see with light pouring out of them. It was completely heartbreaking to watch Dameon leave Hogwarts. His father hadn't even taken time out to go collect his things. He wanted Dameon out of there as soon as possible. Dameon had fought his father tooth and nail and was eventually convinced when his father threatened to use an Unforgivable Curse on him. Draco had also forbidden him to cry as he left.

Looking over his shoulder at the stairs, he left the castle. Kaitlyn stood at the top of the stairs, held back by Professor Lupin. She wanted nothing more than to die right there.

She lay awake all night, trying to think of something she could do. That's when she'd had the idea. She was going to go to Malfoy Manor and rescue him the next night. She'd had all day to plan it and was definitely going through with it.

She saw his silhouette in an upstairs window. Pointing her wand to herself and muttering, "_Ipse Levitas_," she felt herself rise up off the ground to the window. She grasped onto the ledge and stayed low. Now, she was positioned outside the window to his room, ready to use an Alohomora Charm on the window. She heard voices.

"Dameon!"

"Yes, father?"

"What are you doing?"

"Nothing, father."

"I don't believe you. Come down here this instant."

"Coming, father."

Kaitlyn heard footsteps leave the room, a door open and close, and then silence. She put her wand up to the window and whispered, "_Alohomora_." Nothing happened. Kaitlyn bit her lip in frustration. There must have been some type of anti-charm ward on the mansion. It made sense.

Thanking the heavens for blessing her with a Muggle mother, she recognized the safety catch she had somehow missed on the window. She held on with one hand and undid the catch with the other. She couldn't help but think that this must have been Draco's bright idea, putting a Muggle contraption on the windows of the house so Dameon would have no idea how to unhook them if he so felt the need.

Once she had unlocked the safety catch, Kaitlyn pushed open the window. She let herself levitate a few inches and held on tightly, whispering, "_Finite incantatem_!" She dropped like a lead weight but managed to climb into the window.

She looked around the room for a place to hide. She left the window open and heard voices on the stairs. She panicked and ducked into his closet for a few seconds. The door to the room opened up and Kaitlyn held her breath.

Dameon closed the door to his room and wiped away the tears that were already falling down his cheeks. He looked around the room for a few seconds, noting quickly that something seemed out of place and then sat down on his bed. He was completely miserable, being away from Kaitlyn. He wasn't sure how he was going to get out of this one.

Kaitlyn opened up the closet door carefully and slowly. Dameon's head shot up and he jumped off his bed, holding his wand.

"Who's that?" he asked, his voice quavering.

"Dameon," she whispered.

Dameon's face lit up and his wand fell. "Kaitlyn? Is that you? I can't see… it's dark in here."

"It's me," she said, stepping into the light. Tears were streaming down her face.

"Oh, Kate!" he cried, running to her and wrapping her in his arms. "I can't believe it's really you… oh my gosh… It can't be… This is too good to be true…"

He set her down and crushed his lips to hers desperately. She gripped the shoulders of his robes tightly, dying for more of his touch. He pulled away and sobbed. "Oh, Kate… I… I… what are you doing here?"

"I'm here to get you out."


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: **Okay, at the end of this chapter, I know I'm going to get a lot of reviews saying 'That's not believable, where do they get off doing that Curse unauthorized and to a student?' Well, here's the thing, my thought pattern when I wrote this story was much less mature than it is now, so yes, I do agree with those sentiments. However, I was also thinking that in the times where no one could be trusted, it was within an Auror's own jurisdiction about who they could and couldn't trust. Besides, I'm sure that particular Auror got reprimanded, but who cares about that? This is about Kaitlyn and Dameon… you can't expect me to do everything!

Oh, and Ginny and Harry happen to be at Hogwarts because Kaitlyn is missing, and they're all family, so there. That explains that.

"You're doing what?" Dameon asked wildly.

"I snuck out of Hogwarts, Dameon. I took the Knight Bus and I ventured all the way out here. I don't think anyone knows I've even gone yet. I came here to get you so we can get away from all of this madness."

Dameon looked around the room, not comprehending what she was saying. "Kate… Kate, what are you saying?"

"Don't you see? It's Romeo and Juliet."

"It's _what_?"

Kaitlyn cupped Dameon's cheeks in her hands. "This is us! This is _our_ story, Dameon. We're being punished for being together, but we have the opportunity Romeo and Juliet never had. We can escape from all of this and be happy together."

"Kate, Kate, that's fantasy… that was old England… we're fourteen, we need our parents'…"

"No! We don't! Don't you get it? All we need is each other."

Dameon stared at Kaitlyn for a few more seconds before he grabbed her and kissed her, his tears mingling with hers. He pulled away to run around the room quickly, packing a small bag of things. He walked over to Kaitlyn, his eyes alight with excitement. He kissed her lovingly and took her hand.

"We're going to do this?"

"Yes."

"All right."

A large owl tapped its beak on the window of Ron and Hermione's bedroom. Rolling over and grabbing his robe, Ron pulled himself out of bed to wonder why an owl would be tapping on his window at three in the morning.

"Bloody bird," he grumbled, opening the window. The owl hopped in, allowing Ron to open the letter it carried. It was an urgent message from Hogwarts.

Ron hurriedly opened it and read it quickly. Panic overtook him. He jumped onto the bed, shaking Hermione awake.

"Hermione! Wake up, wake up, Hermione, wake up!"

"Hmm?" she asked, rolling over and opening one eye. "Ron, what time is it?"

"Kaitlyn's gone missing."

Hermione sat bolt upright. She was completely disheveled from that night's activities, but all of it went unnoticed. "What do you mean _gone missing_?"

"Hogwarts just sent us a letter. It says she was missing at bed check and they've scoured the castle and grounds for her and she's nowhere to be found. They want us at the school as soon as possible."

"Then let's go."

"Surely we're not Apparating this early in the morning?"

Hermione scowled at her husband. "How _many_ times do I have to tell you… you can't Apparate onto Hogwarts grounds!"

Ron shook his head at Hermione as he pulled on a pair of boots. "Even in crisis you find a way to remind me your intelligence is superior to my own."

"Shut up!"

Kaitlyn and Dameon had managed to make it off the Malfoy property and were now on the Knight Bus. They weren't sure where they wanted to go at all. They'd gotten on and sat together on the rickety, rolling beds.

"We're in Surrey now," the conductor announced to them. "Any chance you'll want off here?"

Dameon was the only one awake. Kaitlyn had fallen asleep against him, crying. He was holding her against him, stroking her soft, red hair absentmindedly. He looked up at the conductor with puffy, red-rimmed eyes. "No, I think we need a little more rest."

The conductor nodded and ducked out of view. Dameon's gaze fell upon Kaitlyn's. She looked so completely peaceful lying in his lap while she slept. He felt lucky to have her. She was so full of life and spirit… and she loved him. _Him_. Dameon Lucas Malfoy. He was no one in the sea of faces at Hogwarts, but she had chosen him to express her love and affection to.

He bent his head down and kissed her softly on the top of the head. "I love you," he whispered.

"Liverpool, sir?"

Dameon looked up at the conductor and sighed. "I guess we need to get off sometime."

The bus pulled to a stop and Kaitlyn's eyes fluttered open. She looked up at Dameon and smiled. "Where are we?"

"Liverpool, love. We have to get off sometime. Besides, it's almost light out."

"I guess you're right," she said, stretching. She sat up and dug into her rucksack. Dameon frowned.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"We have to pay, don't we?"

"Oh, don't be foolish," he said, digging into his pockets. "I have enough money to start a small business. You don't have to pay for anything."

A tear escaped her eye. "I love you," she whispered, leaning over to kiss him.

The bus stopped and Dameon paid while Kaitlyn grabbed their things and climbed out. Sitting down on the nearest bench, Kaitlyn set their stuff down and closed her eyes fretfully. Dameon walked over to her and kissed the top of her head.

"Dameon…" she whispered "You know I love you, right?"

"Of course," he said, sitting down next to her and taking her hand. "Why?"

"Do you know what's going to happen now?"

He sighed, worry etched in his face. For a fourteen-year-old, Dameon didn't need to look as old as he suddenly did. "Does it matter? As long as we are away from everyone who is against us… I really don't care."

Kaitlyn closed her eyes tightly and leaned her head against Dameon's shoulder. "I still feel lost."

"So do I," he whispered, kissing her head. "So do I."

Darkness seemed to fall very early that night. Kaitlyn and Dameon were stuck with where to spend the night.

Trudging through a dark and damp forest, they only had each other to hold onto. Dameon was holding an exhausted Kaitlyn up only by an protective arm around her shoulders. Tears streamed down his cheeks. His breath came in short gasps, his heart pounded like crazy on the inside of his ribcage. He wanted to rest, he wanted to just lie down and sleep… but he couldn't. He was trying to be strong for Kaitlyn. No, he _had_ to be strong for Kaitlyn.

A sound of a snapping twig and rustling leaves caused the pair to stop. Kaitlyn looked around, barely aware of what was going on. "What's that?" she whispered.

Dameon's hearing increased sharply within the next few seconds. Stepping in front of Kaitlyn and pulling out his wand, he called out into the night air, "Who's there?"

A scratchy voice came out of the darkness, "Who walks around the forest in the middle of the night?"

Ron and Hermione had Apparated to Hogsmeade and had hurried up to Hogwarts, where they met Professors Lupin and McGonagall.

"We're not sure where she went," McGonagall was telling them. "She was missing when I went in to check on her this evening. She seemed very upset today, as if she had absolutely no motivation."

Lupin looked at Ron and Hermione warily. "I have a pretty good idea why she left."

Hermione's grip on her husband's hand was so tight that her fingers were turning white. "What do you mean, Professor?"

"Yesterday… Draco showed up to take Dameon out of school. She was crying… screaming… I had to come out here to see what was going on. I don't even think she saw me. I had to take her upstairs to Gryffindor Tower, and she was struggling the entire way."

"Ron," Hermione whispered. "She's gone to find Dameon."

Ron frowned. "Are you sure?"

"I know, Ron, that's where she went…"

Tears clouded Ron's eyes. "I can't believe she…"

"She did!"

Madam Pomfrey, who was running down the stairs as fast as she could possibly go, distracted them all. "Mr. Weasley," she called to Ron and Hermione. They looked up, frowning. "Your sister just went into labor."

Dark figures were stepping out of the shadows, left and right. Dameon could feel Kaitlyn trembling behind him. He kept one hand on hers the entire time in a comforting gesture. He needed to stay strong.

"Who are you?" the voices called out.

"Who are _you_?" he asked.

"Wrong answer! _Stupefy_!"

Dameon fell over, stunned. Kaitlyn cried out in surprise. She felt naked and alone all of a sudden. She had no idea who she was up against and her boyfriend was lying unconscious on the ground in front of her.

"Don't hurt us!" she pleaded through her tears. She looked down at Dameon and remembered the counter spell for a Stunning Charm. Through a choked voice, she inaudibly whispered, "_Ennervate_!"

A gasp came from below her. "Kaitlyn?" Dameon whispered.

She knelt down. "Yes, Dameon, I'm here."

"Who are you?" the voices asked again.

"You bloody well don't need to know that!" Dameon choked.

"_Crucio_!"

An agonizing scream escaped Dameon's lips. Kaitlyn cried out, throwing her body over his writhing figure.

"Stop it! Stop it! You're going to kill him!" she yelled.

"What's going on here?" a distinctly familiar voice asked, appearing in the woods next to everyone.

"We've come across two very suspicious looking characters, sir," a voice said.

Kaitlyn looked at the figures. Everything was becoming foggy. "Stop it… please…"

The familiar voice gasped. "Stop this curse… end it! STOP IT!" he yelled, panicked. The pain in Dameon's body ceased. He was unconscious again; breathing in a sharp, shallow rhythm.

"Do you know these people, sir?" asked the voice.

Harry bent over, taking Kaitlyn's hand. Her blue eyes met his and her face paled completely. "Oh… oh…" she started, looking away.

"This is my niece," he told them.

"Then who is the smart mouth we had to stun?" a different voice asked.

Harry looked at Dameon and then back at Kaitlyn. She was staring at Dameon, tears streaming down her face. Her focus was on him completely. "Uncle Harry, he's dying."


	10. Chapter 10

"They've found Kaitlyn."

Ron stood up quickly. "Where? Merlin's sake where IS SHE? Where's my daughter?"

Lupin grabbed Ron's shoulder firmly. "Ron, please, _calm down_."

"Calm down? CALM DOWN? My daughter could be in danger! She could be dying! Where is she? I want to see her!"

Harry then appeared in the fireplace. He stepped out and stood right next to Ron. He looked completely shaken. "Ron, Ron, she's all right."

Ron turned around and grabbed Harry tightly. "Harry… where is she? Where… Harry…"

"Where's Hermione?"

"She's with Ginny. I need to see Kaitlyn."

"Come on," Harry whispered, taking his friend into the Hospital Wing. Harry led him over to Kaitlyn's bed. "I'll send Hermione out," he whispered, rushing to his wife's aid.

Ron opened the posters surrounding his daughter's bed. She was not sleeping.

"Kate?" he whispered.

Her head shot up. She frowned. "Dad?" she called. "Dad… is that you?"

"Yes, Katie," he said, moving toward her. "It's me. I love you."

"DAD! DAD!" she cried, kicking the blankets off of her legs and launching herself at Ron, arms wide open.

"Kate!" he grabbed her and pulled her into his embrace. He kissed her head, her cheeks, smoothed her hair, and sobbed frantically. "Kate, Kate, oh… you had me so scared."

"Dad… I had to! I had to! Draco took him and was keeping him prisoner just for being with me… He wasn't happy! He was completely miserable! I had to! I had to!" she sobbed. She was gripping him tightly, drenching the front of his robes. "I'm so sorry, Dad, I love you."

Hermione appeared inside the posters, anxious and panicking. "Oh dear Lord, Kaitlyn!" She ran toward her daughter and her husband, cradling them both in her embrace. "What were you thinking, Kaitlyn? What possessed you to do such a thing?"

Kaitlyn only sobbed harder. Ron looked up at Hermione, smiling lovingly. He reached over, moving hair off of Hermione's face. "Love, Hermione. She did it for love."

"I'm afraid he's been severely wounded, and he'll remain comatose for several hours," Madam Pomfrey reported to Ron and Hermione. "I've had quite a bit of trouble getting a hold of his father, however."

Hermione looked over her shoulder at her daughter. "Yes, yes. When will _Kaitlyn_ be able to see him?"

Ron smiled encouragingly at his wife. Madam Pomfrey sighed heavily. "Whenever she feels like visiting him," she said before turning and walking out of the room.

Harry emerged from a closed room in the back of the Hospital Wing. "I wish it wasn't so grim up here. How's Kaitlyn?"

"She's all right. She's pretty calm at the moment. She wanted to see Dameon, but we didn't want her up. How's Ginny?"

Harry beamed widely. "She's great. She's got Cedric right now and they're both doing wonderfully."

Kaitlyn stirred in her bed. Ron looked over his shoulder, then back at his two oldest friends in the world. "Let's visit with her. Give Kaitlyn a few minutes without her family breathing down her neck."

Harry, Ron, and Hermione left the room to see Ginny. Kaitlyn opened her eyes and smiled weakly. Of course, she'd been awake a good portion of the time, listening. She was so overwhelmed by the complete change her father had taken in regards to Dameon. He just seemed to understand.

Madam Pomfrey had told her to stay in bed for the rest of the night, but she couldn't. She had to see Dameon. She had to be near him when he woke up.

She pulled the covers off of her legs and hopped quietly onto the cold, hard floor. She stepped outside of the poster hangings and crept surreptitiously to the bed next to hers. Looking around one more time, Kaitlyn poked her head in. Dameon was asleep. She sat on the chair next to his bed and took his cold, lifeless hand in both of hers.

"Dameon," she whispered, watching his chest rise and fall in a steady rhythm. At least he was breathing all right.

"I suppose we were wrong," she told him. "My mother and father seem to understand us. It seems so unfair, you know? I really wish your father remembered the feeling of being in love. Maybe then he'd overlook the fact that I'm a Weasley and that he and my father hate each other…"

Dameon stirred. His eyelids fluttered once or twice and Kaitlyn felt her breath catch. He was supposed to be asleep for the next two or three hours. He couldn't be waking up yet.

It was too much to hope for. He was going to be unconscious for a long time, after having fought off the Cruciatus Curse. His face was badly bruised and he was a sickly, pallid color. He didn't look like the Dameon she knew, the Dameon she had fallen in love with. He looked like a different person now. It was the mark of someone who had seen far too much for such a young age. It reminded her a great deal of her uncle.

"I wish your father knew, Dameon. Maybe then he'd understand. When you're in love with someone so much, it doesn't matter what family they're from, what type of blood they have. All that matters is you're in love."

Again, Dameon stirred and made a subtle noise. Kaitlyn sighed, resting her head next to his on the bed. She wanted him to wake up more than anything.

The door to the infirmary burst open and a very irate man walked in. Madam Pomfrey rushed in to see what the racket was. She narrowed her eyes at the intruder.

"Master Malfoy, if you would _please_ quiet down!"

He only ignored her.

Kaitlyn's head snapped up when she heard Madam Pomfrey. Draco was here? There was no telling what he would say or do pertaining to her. She gripped Dameon's hand tightly in her own. Thankfully her parents had just emerged from the room where Harry and Ginny were.

The posters by the bed flew open and the glare from Draco's eyes penetrated Kaitlyn's body. He was searching her out, trying to figure out her motives. He couldn't see them.

"It was you, wasn't it, you sick filthy Mudblood?"

"Malfoy, you get away from my daughter." Ron's voice seemed to startle all of them. Draco looked up, his malicious eyes peering hatefully at both Ron and Hermione.

"It's concerning _my_ son, Weasley. I have every right to be angry."

"But not to insult my daughter," Ron spat angrily. "You have no business speaking to her in such a manner."

"Your… _daughter_… trespassed on my estate, broke into my home, damaged private property and kidnapped my son."

"_Kidnapped_!" Kaitlyn screamed. "You were holding him prisoner! YOU were the one who kidnapped him! He didn't want to be there with you, he wanted to be with me. At least I love him."

Draco sneered. "Silly girl, you don't even know what love is."

"And you do, Draco?" Hermione whispered. Draco's eyes found Hermione's and his face faltered a bit. It looked as if he was almost nostalgic.

"What does it matter to you, Mudblood?"

Ron jumped up right away, wand out and pointed straight between Draco's eyes. "First, you say it to my daughter, then to my wife. Trying to get yourself killed, Malfoy? You _know_ I will do it. I'm not afraid to."

Kaitlyn looked frightened as she clutched Dameon's hand tightly. His fingers wiggled in hers. She didn't look away from the scene that was taking place before her.

"The point is, _Weasley_, your daughter trespassed on my private property and that is a criminal offense. I could have you thrown in Azkaban for the rest of your days with the power I hold," Draco threatened.

"What power?" Ron spat. "Your steadily decreasing power? The fact is, Malfoy, your father died and left you nothing but a plethora of bad debts hidden by a good name. What power you had is now gone. No one is going to believe that my daughter kidnapped your son. They know me as a hard-working Ministry official, and you're a poor useless son of a Death Eater. Your name will get you nowhere anymore."

Draco's reserve was shattered. He turned his eyes on Kaitlyn once again and sneered. "As soon as he wakes, he's coming home with me."

"Not for a few days, Master Malfoy," Madam Pomfrey spoke up. She had returned to check on Dameon. "He's been subjected to the Cruciatus Curse and he's been unconscious for almost four hours. He'll be staying here, where I can keep a good eye on him."

"He is _NOT_ staying! I refuse to leave my son in such care!"

Madam Pomfrey's eye's blazed. "If you have a problem with the way I care for my patients, than perhaps you should take it up with Headmistress McGonagall."

Malfoy looked at the glaring faces around him. He looked at Madam Pomfrey, unwilling to relent. "He will stay in your care for no longer than it takes. After that, he is to be returned to me promptly."

"Why, Draco?" Hermione whispered. She was now sitting next to Kaitlyn. "Why does he _have _to stay with you? What does it matter that he and Kaitlyn want to be together? What have you to do with it?"

"I have everything to do with it," he replied arrogantly. "This is my son. This is my concern. Why are you defending this absurd relationship?"

"Don't you remember, Draco? Don't tell me you've forgotten already," Hermione said quietly.

Draco acted as if he hadn't understood her. "Remember what, exactly?"

"I can't _believe_ you," she said, becoming offended. "You've forgotten about her."

"I don't know what you're talking about, so quit talking, Granger."

"Weasley. You know perfectly well what I'm talking about, and I'm not going to stop talking until you admit that you've forgotten. What happened to Grace? Where did your love for her go when she went?"

Draco threw them all the dirtiest look he could manage, spun on his heel, and stalked out of the room. Ron and Hermione gave their daughter an encouraging look and followed Draco out from behind the posters.

"Don't walk away from us, Malfoy," Ron demanded.

"I have every right to walk away, Weasley. You are treading on _very_ dangerous grounds. Grace is and was my personal business. I am not going to discuss her with people like you."

"Like who? A Weasley and a Mudblood?" Hermione asked. Ron's jaw dropped at the word his wife had used. However, she was not fazed at all. "What does all of that matter anymore, Draco? We're out of school, and we have been for nearly twenty years. You father, the one who instilled all of this in you… he's no longer around to govern your life. Why are you still insulting us?"

Draco couldn't look at them. He was biting his lip in frustration. "Does it matter? Of course it matters! You, Weasley, and Potter have been ruining my life ever since our first year at Hogwarts."

"And you haven't been ruining ours?" Ron shot back. "You've been insistent on making our lives hell. It's not like we did it on purpose."

"Besides, that was twenty years ago, and it's all over," Hermione pointed out. "We can't change the past, but we can change the present. Don't you want to give your son the choices you never had? Don't you want him to be able to make up his own mind about his life instead of having you do it for him?" she asked.

Draco could think of nothing to say to that. He was struck silent.

"Have you ever heard of a British Muggle writer named William Shakespeare, Draco?"

He finally gazed over as if to say, 'Are you serious?'

"He wrote a play once, Draco. It was called _Romeo and Juliet_. It's a romance. A tragedy."

"What does this have to do with my son?"

"Everything," Hermione stressed. Ron was staring at her in interest. He'd never asked about the plot of _Romeo and Juliet_, no matter how many times he'd seen her read it. "It has everything to do with the story."

"Are you going to explain it to me or are you just going to taunt me? I really don have time for this, Granger."

"Weasley," she corrected again. "The story is about two families, the Montagues and the Capulets. However, they have been feuding for some centuries."

"Why?" Draco asked. The story, after all, _did_ sound familiar.

"Well, they never say. All it says is they are feuding and have been foes for a very long time. At any rate, members of their family duel in the street and get into trouble with the law frequently. They've been warned by the Prince of the city for it because their fights are getting very much out of hand."

"And?" Ron spoke up.

Hermione smiled at him, taking his hand in hers. She loved it when he expressed interest. "The Capulets throw a masquerade ball, where their daughter Juliet will meet the charming Paris, who wants to marry her. Romeo, the only son from the Montague family, goes to the ball with his cousins because he hears the woman he is currently in love with is there. However, upon seeing Juliet, he thinks her the most beautiful woman in the world and instantly falls in love with her," Hermione explained.

"So? Where does the part come when their families realize it's a stupid idea for them to be in love?" Draco asked, irritated.

"It doesn't," she said, her tone low and cautious. "The point is, they fall madly in love with each other, get married in secret, and have to hide their love from their families. That's when Romeo kills Juliet's cousin and is banished from the city of Verona."

"Verona? That's not in England," Ron butted in.

Hermione squeezed his hand and continued. "Juliet becomes betrothed to Paris…"

"HOW?" Ron screamed.

Hermione gave him an admonishing look. "Her parents do it."

"Don't they know about Romeo?" Draco asked quietly.

Hermione, to say the least, was a little shocked. Draco was actually _paying attention_? "Of course they don't. They couldn't tell their families. Anyway, Juliet has been told by her father that he will disown her if she doesn't marry Paris, so she's stuck. She goes to the Friar who married Romeo and her and asks for help. He gives her a potion which will make her appear to be dead for a few days, then when she wakes up, she'll leave to go find Romeo."

"You're making this up," Draco muttered under his breath.

"Of _course_ I'm not! It wouldn't hurt for you to read this story, Draco," she declared. "Anyway, the Friar sends word to Romeo about what is to happen but he never gets the message." Ron gulped. "So he finds out that Juliet is dead, goes back to Verona, lays next to her on her death bed and drinks a vial of poison. Juliet wakes up just in time to watch him die and then stabs herself with a dagger."

The response was instantaneous. Both Ron and Draco were fit to kill. Hermione only looked smug. "You can't tell me this isn't like Romeo and Juliet. My daughter knows the story. It's one of her favorites."

Draco rolled his eyes. "It's complete fiction."

Hermione folded her arms defiantly across her chest. "Is it, Draco? We stand here right now, staring spitefully at each other, speaking hateful words, but both of our children are in there, completely crazy about each other. Is that fiction?"

No one said anything for a long time. Hermione, stepping closer to Ron, spoke softly, "I don't think any of us want that to happen to our children. The worst we can do is try and tear them apart."

Draco bit his lip again, looking away angrily. He was having a lot of trouble believing everything. He looked malevolently over at Dameon's bed.


	11. Chapter 11

"My aunt and uncle just had a baby, you know," Kaitlyn whispered to the unconscious form of her boyfriend. "He's right over in the next room. I want to see him and everything, but I can't leave you. I know I can't. I have to be here when you wake up.

"A lot of things have happened, Dameon. Your father is here. He's threatening to take you back home. My mum and dad… I can't even begin to believe how supportive they are of us. It's amazing. I never would have expected that of my dad… _my _dad, the thickest man in the world (so says my mum). He was the one defending us. He was the one saying that we needed time alone. And then your father got here… I was scared to death. I didn't want him to take you again. But he and my parents are talking. My mum mentioned your mum and your father got really upset.

"I've often wondered about that, Dameon. Do you know anything about your mum? Has your dad told you anything? I bet you could find out about her. She went to this school. She was a Hufflepuff. I know you could find out who she was, what she did. Was she on the Quidditch team? Was she a Prefect? Head Girl? Did she get good grades? Was she well liked? That sort of thing. I want to help you, Dameon. You have to know everything."

Dameon's eyes fluttered open, but Kaitlyn did not notice. Her gaze was fixed downward on the sheets. "You know that I love you very much, Dameon. I want to help you out in any way that I can. I want to be here for you, I want you to know that I'm never going to abandon you, the way your father did before he even really knew you."

Dameon lifted his hand up and touched Kaitlyn's hair. She gasped, looking straight up at him. "You're awake!" she cried, throwing her arms around his neck. He groaned in pain and she immediately jumped backward. "Oh, I'm sorry! Did I hurt you?"

"No," he moaned, rubbing his ribs. "I'm all right. I heard what you said, Kate. And I love you as well."

Tears filled her eyes. "You're alive. That's all that matters."

Dameon smiled lovingly at her. "Where am I?" he asked, looking around. "What happened?"

"I can't believe you don't remember," she said, gently touching the wounds on his face. His color was returning slowly and his awareness was sharpening. "You were so brave…"

Dameon stopped to try and remember the past events. He sighed. "Yes, I do remember… I can't believe what happened… but, Kate, you came and saved me. You saved me from my father, because you loved me."

"Of course I rescued you," she said, trying to get closer to him without hurting him. "I couldn't live a day without you. I spent all night and day thinking about how I was going to get you back to me. I never expected all of this."

"I didn't either," he replied. He took her hand in his and brought it to his lips. He kissed it so softly that it felt like a gentle wind. Staring into the deep, midnight blue gaze he called his own, Kaitlyn felt completely safe and protected. She was right where she belonged.

Madam Pomfrey appeared through the posters and smiled brightly at Dameon. "Good, you're awake!" She briskly walked over to the nightstand next to his bed and handed him a glass full of a bright orange liquid. He stared disgustedly at it. "Mr. Malfoy, I expect you to drink that at least three times a day for the remainder of the time you are in here. I'll be by to enforce it if you don't cooperate. Now go on, drink up."

Stealing a glance at Kaitlyn, he shrugged and poured it down his throat and then gagged. Madam Pomfrey rolled her eyes and took the glass back from Dameon. "I'll go inform your father that you are awake."

Dameon sighed disgustedly. "I can't believe my father actually even cared to come."

"Now, Dameon, don't talk like that," Kaitlyn scolded gently.

He shook his head at her. "After imprisoning me in my own home, you'd think he wouldn't give a flying fig about my well being."

"He's your father."

Draco appeared behind the posters and looked at Kaitlyn. She was surprised to see such a neutral expression on his face. "Please leave us."

She was, again, not only surprised to hear the indifferent tone to his voice, but also the fact that he had said 'please.' She gave Dameon an encouraging and hopeful look and headed out to see her mother and father.

Ron and Hermione were talking to Harry about Ginny. Kaitlyn approached them carefully, unable to say much. Harry looked over Ron and Hermione at her, smiling fondly. "How's my favorite niece?" he asked, rushing toward her with his arms wide open.

"Not so great, Uncle Harry," she told him, embracing him tightly.

"That's all right, love," he whispered into her ear. "I know how it feels."

Kaitlyn didn't want to let her tears out. It was far too hard to cry all over again. Instead, she pushed them off and asked, "How's Aunt Ginny?"

"She's great. Do you want to meet your new cousin?"

"Do I!" she exclaimed excitedly.

All four of them entered the room. Ginny looked up, grinning widely at them. She positively beamed when she noticed that Kaitlyn had come as well. "Katydid!" she squealed excitedly. "Come over here! I've been so _worried_ about you!"

Kaitlyn walked obediently over to her Aunt Ginny and squeezed her tightly. She felt something wet drip into her hair and looked up to see her aunt producing tears.

"I'm so sorry, love," Ginny said, wiping the tears away. I've just been very emotion today. Oh!" she exclaimed. "Do you want to meet Cedric?"

Kaitlyn frowned. Cedric… where had she heard that name before? Ginny leaned over and lifted the baby out of his bassinet. Turning to Kaitlyn, she whispered, "Do you want to hold your cousin?" Kaitlyn could barely speak. Cedric looked exactly like her uncle in every way. He had a few strands of black hair that were already threatening to become unruly. He had wide, bright green eyes and a soft, upturned nose. His lips were even the same shade of rose.

"I can't believe how gorgeous he is," Kaitlyn whispered.

"I know," Ginny said, reaching her hand over to touch her son. "He looks just like his father, doesn't he? Absolutely perfect."

Harry was completely overtaken with love for his wife. He rushed over to her side and sat down on the bed right next to her. "I love you, J."

"And I love you, Wood," she replied, leaning over to kiss him.

Kaitlyn was suddenly perplexed. "What does that mean? I've always wondered."

"What?" Harry asked.

"Wood and J. Why do you call each other that?"

Harry and Ginny looked at each other and then back at Kaitlyn. "That's definitely another story in itself," Hermione answered for them.

Kaitlyn turned to her mother and then frowned. "Where did Dad go?"

Kaitlyn wandered out of the hospital room several minutes later. Draco was talking to Madam Pomfrey and looked like he was ready to leave. Kaitlyn wanted to make sure she completely avoided him and made her way over to Dameon's bed.

"Weasley," came the snide, drawling voice from across the room from her. She wasn't sure whom he was addressing, but realized it was she when he approached.

"W-What is it?" she asked, trying to keep her cool. She could handle Dameon when he was just another Malfoy, but she definitely couldn't be that way with Draco.

He stepped in front of her, pulling out Dameon's wand and fingered it gently. "I've just spoken with my son, and it seems that he wants to stay at Hogwarts more than anything. I can only imagine why." Kaitlyn said nothing. "I discussed it with him at length, and I decided that the only fair thing to do…" she gulped. "Was let him stay here. He's got a lot going for him," he whispered. Draco looked away from her and she could tell that he was avoiding her eyes for a very good reason. "I know how it feels, Weasley… I've been there before, and I know that it would be unfair of me to take him out of school. He'd just end up finding a way to escape, and that's definitely not what I need in _my_ family." Draco stiffened his resolve again, throwing his head back overconfidently. He looked at the wand again and then reluctantly handed it over to Kaitlyn. "Take care of him, Weasley. I expect nothing less than the best for my son." And with that, Draco turned on his heel and fled the Hospital Wing.

Kaitlyn looked down at the wand in her hand, completely amazed at what had just happened. She walked back to Dameon's bed and opened the posters.

Her father was sitting next to him, talking to him. They appeared to be getting on very well, laughing and chatting. Dameon looked up and smiled brightly at her. "Hello, Kate!"

Ron turned around and smiled at his daughter. He stood up, walked over to her, kissed her on the cheek, and whispered in her ear, "You've made a great choice, love."

Kaitlyn stared at Dameon after her father left, astonished. She walked over to him, sat down, and took his hand in hers. "Can you believe all of this?"

"No," he said smiling a mile wide. "But that's really the best part. It's so amazing that I don't want to believe it. You know, after my father and I talked I have to say… I think your mother may have had some influence on him."

"My mum has influence on everyone," she laughed.

"He mentioned something about not wanting us to be the kind of pair you drank poison and stabbed themselves for love."

They both laughed heartily at this. "That was definitely my mum. How would your father ever know Shakespeare?"

Dameon took her hand, pressed it to his lips and whispered, "I guess we've broken the Romeo and Juliet curse."

She smiled lovingly at him. "You know… you may be right."

'My only love sprung from my only hate/Too early seen unknown and known too late/Prodigious birth of love it is to me/That I must love a loathed enemy.'

**Juliet Act I, Scene V**

'Did my heart love till now? Forswear it sight! For I ne'er saw true beauty till this night.'

**Romeo Act I, Scene V**


End file.
